Politics

Mélenchon, 75, begins fourth French presidential run before 20,000 supporters

ABC News reports that Jean-Luc Mélenchon drew 20,000 supporters north of Paris as detractors accuse him of stoking unrest.

Published Nov 9, 2026 · 11:39 UTC5 reports

The short version

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, 75, is on his fourth French presidential run, opening it with a rally of 20,000 supporters north of Paris.[ABC News]
He missed the 2022 presidential runoff by just 421,308 votes.[ABC News]
Detractors accuse him of stoking unrest and antisemitism and going soft on Moscow, charges he rejects.[ABC News]
Marine Le Pen has accused his party of plunging France into chaos, and the election outcome remains unknown.[ABC News]

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, 75, is on his fourth French presidential run.[ABC News]
Mélenchon told 20,000 supporters at a hall north of Paris on Saturday.[ABC News]
In the 2022 presidential election, 421,308 votes kept Mélenchon out of the runoff.[ABC News]
Detractors accuse Mélenchon of stoking unrest and antisemitism, scorning the police and press, and going soft on Moscow; he rejects these charges.[ABC News]
Marine Le Pen accused Mélenchon's party of plunging France into chaos.[ABC News]

Accusations that Mélenchon stoked unrest and antisemitism or went soft on Moscow are disputed by him and are not independently verified in this reporting.[ABC News]
Whether Mélenchon reaches the runoff in the upcoming election is not known from this reporting.[ABC News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.