Jean-Luc Mélenchon, born on August 19, 1951, in Tangier, Morocco, is the son of a postmaster and a primary school teacher. He moved to Normandy in 1962 and graduated from the University of Franche-Comté in philosophy. He met Bernadette Abriel in 1969, married her in 1972, and they had a daughter, Maryline, in 1974. The couple divorced in 1994, and Mélenchon has remained single since.
Mélenchon entered politics in 1976, joining the Socialist Party (PS). He aimed to unite the French Communist Party and the PS, creating a federal newspaper. He served as a senator from 1986 to 2000 and was Minister for Vocational Education from 2000 to 2002 under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. He returned to the Senate from 2004 to 2010 but grew disillusioned with the PS’s centrist direction.
In 2008, Mélenchon and Martine Billard founded the Left Party after he left the Socialist Party. He served in the South-West France European Parliament from 2009 to 2017 and placed fourth in the 2012 presidential election. In 2016, he founded La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) and ran for president in 2017, receiving 19.6% of the vote. He improved his performance in the 2022 presidential election, garnering 21.95% of the vote.
Currently, Mélenchon leads the New Popular Union (NUPES), an alliance of communist, socialist, and environmental groups. NUPES has proposed 650 measures to address France’s issues, such as raising the minimum wage, lowering the retirement age, taxing the wealthy, creating jobs, and controlling the cost of necessities. However, 33 of these proposals have caused internal divisions.
NUPES has become a significant force in France’s National Assembly, but it has faced controversies. Mélenchon’s views on Taiwan and China have caused disagreements within the alliance. Since the Ukraine conflict began, Mélenchon has softened his stance on Russia, condemning the invasion but facing scrutiny for his past positions. Accusations of leniency towards Vladimir Putin’s regime stem from his desire for a “non-aligned” global political stance. As a prominent figure on the Left, Mélenchon’s positions have been contentious within his coalition and beyond.
