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In the space of a decade, Jean-Luc Mélenchon bounced back from a lifetime on the fringes of the Socialist Party to become the dominant force in France’s post-Socialist left. As voters head to the polls on Sunday, he is hoping to prevent a repeat of President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 duel with the far right’s Marine Le Pen.
By most accounts, France’s presidential campaign ranks among the most disappointing in recent decades, overshadowed by the horror of the war in Ukraine, hampered by a largely absent incumbent, and tarnished by ramblings far removed from the real concerns of the public.
In the words of Jean Lassalle, the ruralist candidate who once donned a Yellow Vest in parliament, it’s been a “campagne de merde”.
But one man begs to differ. Veteran leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon has described his third presidential run as the “most thrilling” yet – in part, no doubt, because it has cemented his status as the only powerful voice in a weak and divided left.
“Never before have we had so many critical issues to address,” Mélenchon told reporters in late March, as he prepared to address tens of thousands of supporters in Marseille. “We’re at a historic moment, I hope the French people realise this (…). If other candidates have nothing to say, that’s their problem,” he added. “I have plenty to say.”
Mélenchon’s response to this “historic moment” – most notably his stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – has been the subject of intense scrutiny in the final stretch of the campaign. It has weighed heavily on leftwing voters as they agonise over their choice of ballot in the first round of the election on April 10.
In recent weeks, his rivals on the left have…
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Source : france24
