Mélenchon opens campaign against RN in Saint-Denis

08.06.2026 12:01 HotInfo

Jean-Luc Mélenchon opened his 2027 presidential campaign in Saint-Denis on Sunday, framing it as a direct duel with the National Rally. The leader of the La France insoumise movement and repeat candidate for the highest office spoke in the Paris region at the first major rally of his campaign. Le Monde ↗

In his speech, he accused the National Rally of promoting "supremacism" and criticized its emphasis on questions of identity and origin. He presented Saint-Denis and the Seine-Saint-Denis department as a symbol of his "new France," which his camp links to the movement's political laboratory since 2018. The region's significance was further reinforced by the March elections of mayors Bally Bagayoko and Aly Diouara. France24 ↗

Mélenchon's launch comes at a time when the French left remains divided. Part of the non-Mélenchonist left is seeking a way to move forward together through primaries or separate candidacies, while polls in some scenarios suggest Mélenchon is drawing closer to reaching the second round. At the same time, however, significant differences remain across the various models. Le Figaro ↗

Chenu of the National Rally responded to his attacks, calling Mélenchon a candidate of danger and revenge. In the broader pre-election context, other figures are also mentioned alongside him, including Raphaël Glucksmann and Bruno Retailleau, as the traditional first rallies remain part of building credibility for the candidacies. Die Zeit ↗

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Geographic locations

Location: Departement seine-saint-denis

Hôtel du Département, Esplanade Jean Moulin, Cité Pablo Picasso, Bobigny, Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 93000, France
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