Mélenchon shaking up French election campaign

The Debates feature from Euro|Topics offers English (+ French and German) translations of a selections of articles in European news sources on this topic.

Euro|Topics relaunched their website during 2016. Features published before that date are still available via an archive website (see related url hyperlinks).The offical time period for campaigning in the 2017 Presidential Election in France began on the 10 April 2017.

With less than two weeks to go to the first round of the French presidential election on the 23 April 2017 the left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the conservative contender Fillon were both at 18% in the polls - behind Le Pen of the Front National and Macron with his En marche! movement, with 22% support apiece.

Euro|Topics wrote that commentators in the European media saw Mélenchon reaching the second round as a nightmare scenario that had its roots in the decline of the established parties.

• Primary Source

http://archiv.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/aktuell.html http://archiv.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/aktuell.html

ESO: Key source: France Presidential Election 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/french-presidential-election-2017/

ESO: Find further information on this topic in ESO http://www.europeansources.info/advSearchLink?keyword=france%20presidential%20election%202017%20&searchOption=all

ESO: Background information: France’s second presidential TV debate more surreal than enlightening http://www.europeansources.info/record/frances-second-presidential-tv-debate-more-surreal-than-enlightening/

ESO: Background information: French left seeks united front in presidential election http://www.europeansources.info/record/french-left-seeks-united-front-in-presidential-election/

The Guardian, 11.04.17: [Opinion]: France is angry. The left must show Europe that bigotry is not the answer https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/11/france-left-europe-jean-luc-melenchon-presidential-election

The Local.fr, 10.04.17: Five questions (and answers) about France's surging Mélenchon https://www.thelocal.fr/20170410/five-questions-and-answers-about-frances-surging-mlenchon

The Local.fr, 10.04.17: Official campaign begins for French Presidential election https://www.thelocal.fr/20170410/official-campaign-begins-for-french-presidential-election

The Local.fr, 11.04.17: Who are the eight million French voters ready to back Emmanuel Macron? Who are the eight million French voters ready to back Emmanuel Macron? https://www.thelocal.fr/20170411/who-are-macrons-voters

Deutsche Welle, 11.04.17: Who would be the greenest French president? http://p.dw.com/p/2b3vZ

The Guardian, 12.04.17: French election shaken by surge in support for far-left candidate https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/12/french-presidential-election-surge-far-left-candidate-melenchon

The Guardian, 15.04.17: Mélenchon puts left in contention as French election becomes too close to call https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/15/jean-luc-melenchon-france-first-round-voting-election-presidential

Deutsche Welle, 18.04.17: Picnicking with France's left-wing presidential candidate Melenchon http://p.dw.com/p/2bR5t

The Conversation, 19.04.17: Profile: Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left candidate shaking up the French election https://theconversation.com/profile-jean-luc-melenchon-the-far-left-candidate-shaking-up-the-french-election-76384

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 22.04.17: The transformation of Jean-Luc Mélenchon: From radical outsider to populist leader http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/04/22/the-transformation-of-jean-luc-melenchon/

The Local.fr, 22.04.17: Here's why millions of French voters want hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon for president https://www.thelocal.fr/20170422/why-people-say-theyll-vote-mlenchon-for-president

openDemocracy: Can Europe Make It?, 18.04.17: French tragedy or farce: the 2017 presidential election – 1 https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/philippe-marli-re/french-tragedy-or-farce-2017-presidential-election-1

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