Overview
- Melenchon, who confirmed his run Sunday on TF1, said his camp has a team, a manifesto and a single candidate.
- He framed his bid around foreign policy and looming crises, urging a Franco‑Spanish stance against what he called a U.S.- and Israel-led war in the Middle East and warning of war, climate shifts and an economic shock.
- Emmanuel Macron cannot seek a third term under France’s constitution, and former prime minister Edouard Philippe has signaled a center-right run.
- The National Rally polls well nationally but fell short in March municipal races, and its 2027 nominee hinges on Le Pen’s July appeal over an EU funds case, with Jordan Bardella widely expected to step in if she loses.
- France’s two-round system can reorder the field, and Melenchon’s past results—fourth in 2012 and 2017, then third in 2022—show a rising share that could shape left-wing strategy.