Presidential 2026: Jean-Luc Mélenchon convinced he will 'eliminate' RN candidate, 'perhaps' in the first round

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the prominent leader of La France insoumise, declared his strong conviction that he will defeat the National Rally's candidate in the upcoming 2026 presidential election, potentially even in the first round. Mélenchon drew parallels to the 2022 election, where he narrowly missed advancing to the second round against Marine Le Pen, suggesting that current polling predictions for the National Rally's candidate, Jordan Bardella, are also not insurmountable.

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In 2022, Marine Le Pen was announced with 20 points ahead of me, as is the case today between me and Jordan Bardella. Yet, by a hair's breadth, she was able to stay.

"Five years later, I will perhaps succeed in eliminating their candidate in the first round," Mélenchon stated during an appearance on France 3's "Dimanche en politique." He added with certainty, "If not, I will beat him in the second round." Mélenchon based his optimism on his belief that "our homeland is not a racist country, it is not a supremacist country, it is not an Islamophobic country."

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Five years later, I will perhaps succeed in eliminating their candidate in the first round.

His remarks come just days before a court of appeal is set to decide which National Rally candidate, Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella, will be eligible to run for president. Mélenchon refrained from expressing a personal preference between the two, stating it was "not a matter of personal taste." He has faced Le Pen in three previous presidential elections.

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If not, I will beat him in the second round, I have not the slightest doubt on this subject.

Addressing concerns that Bardella might appeal to younger voters, Mélenchon, at 74, asserted that he is well-positioned among young people, not due to his age, but because "young people do not make decisions based on appearances." He clarified his role, stating, "I am not a candidate to be their friend, I am a candidate to be president of this country."

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Our homeland is not a racist country, it is not a supremacist country, it is not an Islamophobic country.