Mélenchon Consolidates Left Campaign After Record LFI 'Amfis'

Overview

• LFI staged unusually large summer schools this weekend, with organisers and reporters putting attendance in the thousands and party leaders treating the events as a launch pad for Mélenchon’s 2027 bid.
• On Sunday Jean‑Luc Mélenchon used the closing meeting to outline new green proposals, including a 'conscription écologique' and the creation of 'écorégions', and to present ecology as central to his campaign.
• Mélenchon publicly invited Green support, saying 'toute aide sera la bienvenue', while LFI signalled it will press forward with its own campaign rather than wait for a negotiated left coalition.
• Party organisers are training activists to secure the 500 mayoral endorsements required to qualify a presidential run, a sign LFI is prioritising grassroots mobilisation to guarantee Mélenchon’s place on the ballot.
• The wider left remains fragmented — Greens split over whether to back Mélenchon or run autonomously, Raphaël Glucksmann is likely to formalise a candidacy, and the communists and PS are pursuing separate tracks — leaving the risk of multiple left tickets for 2027.