France has a record number of presidential hopefuls. Will any of them be able to hold back the far right?
2024 snap parliamentary election](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/07/exit-poll-shows-surprise-win-for-left-wing-alliance-in-french-election).
But the initiative is struggling, as the left remains fragmented, with key figures preferring to run alone. [Jean-Luc Mélenchon](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/04/france-jean-luc-melenchon-president-bid-2027), 74, the veteran radical left