Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leading politician in France's left-wing Unbowed party, announced on Sunday that he will run in the 2027 French presidential election. "Yes, I am a candidate," the 74-year-old told TF1 TV.

The 2027 contest will be Melenchon's fourth presidential bid, following campaigns in 2012, 2017 and 2022. He received 11 percent of the vote in 2012 and 22 percent in 2022, when he finished third behind Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. His vote share in 2022 was 1.2 percentage points lower than Le Pen's.

The first round of the 2027 election will be held in April. If no candidate secures a majority in the first round, a run-off will be held two weeks later.

Macron is unable to run in 2027 because of term limits. Le Pen faces a ban from politics, which she is challenging in court.

No political party won a majority in the 2024 legislative elections in France, leaving governments vulnerable to no-confidence votes if opposition parties unite. France has had several governments and prime ministers over the past two years. La France Insoumise is the largest party in the New Popular Front coalition and the third largest bloc in the National Assembly.

LFI has championed strong environmental regulations and higher taxes on the rich. The party has been a critic of Israel's military actions in Gaza. Melenchon described Israel's assault on Gaza as genocide and has called for the suspension of the European Union's association agreement with Israel. He has also backed Spain's position against the US-Israel war on Iran.