With less than a week left until the first round of voting in the French Presidential Election, far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has made a surprise comeback.
His poll numbers have surged past socialist candidate Benoît Hamon and conservative candidate François Fillon’s. For the past month, polls have suggested that Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron would be the top two contenders, but if Mélenchon has caught up with Français Fillon, and both are fairly close behind the leading duo.
Mélenchon is a far-left candidate, valuing innovation and renewable energy resources, who has doubts about the European Union. But, contrary to Marine Le Pen, who wants a full Frexit, Mélenchon wants to negotiate France’s position in the Eurozone. Both candidates hope to create change in France, but very different kinds of change. Le Pen wants to return to the franc, while Mélenchon’s campaign is a calling for a new constitution: the 6th Republic.
Whether or not that idea is appealing to the French public, we will find out on the day of the first round of voting, April 23rd.