Leftist Candidate Surges in French Presidential Election

In a surprising twist in the French presidential election, leftist candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is surging in the polls, raising the possibility of a run-off vote between the pro-worker and pro-immigrant candidate and his far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon is also gaining voters on a staunchly progressive platform, reminiscent of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) campaign in the U.S. presidential election.

Mélenchon has “promised to increase the minimum wage by 16 percent, to strive for a 32-hour working week, reinstate retirement at age 60, make all medical care free, increase unemployment benefits, nationalize the arms industry and electricity companies, and hire 60,000 teachers. Income tax for high earners would rise to 90 percent, while all personal earnings over €400,000 per year would be confiscated,” summarizes the Irish Times.

He’s also gained voters’ support with his sense of humor, describing the rise of his center-right opponent Emmanuel Macron—an investment banker who has never held public office—as a “hallucinogenic mushroom.”

Just 10 days before France’s first round of voting on April 23, Mélenchon is now polling at 19 percent. That puts him within striking distance of Le Pen and Macron, who are polling at 24 percent and 23 percent, respectively.

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