France Should Reject German Army After AfD Win, Says Mélenchon

French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said Germany's project to build "Europe's first conventional army" is "unacceptable for France" following the AfD's strong result in Saxony-Anhalt.

"The far right is back in Germany," Mélenchon said, calling the outcome "a catastrophic demonstration of the blindness of centrist European policies" and adding: "This disaster is their result."

Blaming Ukraine Policy for Economic Pain

Mélenchon extended his criticism to Western support for Ukraine, saying: "Those who chose to support Ukraine against its invasion are the same people who prepared nothing, organized nothing, and failed to realize their decisions would first hurt their own people - especially those suffering the most economically."

A Plan to Cancel French Debt Held by the ECB

Mélenchon also outlined a proposal to address French debt held by the European Central Bank, arguing the ECB's practice of purchasing French debt securities from private banks, though it cannot buy government debt directly from states, has left it holding a large amount of French debt.

"I propose, since we are all members of the euro system, that this debt be cancelled," he said, comparing it to forgiving a debt owed to oneself: "If you owe yourself a million, you can simply say you no longer owe yourself."

A Fourth Presidential Run

Mélenchon, 75, is the founder and leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), France's main radical-left force, and announced his fourth presidential campaign in May 2026, formally launching it in June ahead of the 2027 election.

He previously ran in 2012 (11%), 2017 (19.6%, third place) and 2022 (nearly 22%, third place, narrowly missing the runoff).

He currently polls in the low-to-mid teens. His platform centers on anti-austerity policies, high taxation of wealth, ecological planning, and what he calls a "citizens' revolution," alongside strong Euroscepticism, criticism of NATO and US foreign policy, support for Palestine, and skepticism toward Western Ukraine policy.