Founder and leader of La France Insoumise (LFI, "Unsubmissive France"), a French radical left-wing party that sits to the left of the Socialists, Greens and Communists. Born in Morocco, a former Trotskyist, he is 74 and has run for the presidency three times. He defies the weakness of the European left by combining vintage class warfare with modern critical race theory, and has built an electoral base that marries educated young voters with ethnic minorities and those living in social housing—what pollsters at Ifop call his "magic mix". Fully 58% of French 18- to 24-year-olds view him favourably, against just 14% of those aged 50-64. He has millions of TikTok followers and speaks of his "shame" at not speaking Arabic, embracing the "creolisation" of the French population.
In 2022 he came close to beating Marine Le Pen into the run-off. Polls show high disapproval; charges of antisemitism abound. He proposes a "citizens' revolution" ushering in a "new republic" under a fresh constitution, would have France leave NATO and seek accommodation with Russia, and would breach EU rules if necessary. Some 69% of Muslim voters backed him in the 2022 first round. His brand resembles Zohran Mamdani's democratic socialism in New York, but he is more durable: as political scientist Philippe Marlière puts it, "He's the most Trumpian figure in France. He's faced so many scandals and setbacks, but he's still around."
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