Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of Les Écologistes, confirmed on Saturday in Grenoble that she will stand in the 2027 French presidential election. Speaking during an interview with presenter Darius Rochebin on news channel LCI, she pledged to lead a Green campaign despite growing divisions across the French political left.
Tondelier called on all left-wing leaders to show humility, warning that no candidate on the left is guaranteed to reach or win the second round under current political conditions. Her comments followed earlier remarks by La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who claimed on television that neither the Socialists nor the Ecologists possessed a clear strategy or candidate.
Addressing her party's annual summer gathering in Grenoble, a city in south-eastern France, Tondelier emphasized that she was determined to carry the Ecologist banner into the first round. She rejected suggestions that she would campaign for other left-wing figures such as Mélenchon or European Parliament member Raphaël Glucksmann, stating that her focus remained entirely on delivering an ecological campaign.
Tondelier noted that every presidential contest under France's Fifth Republic has featured a Green candidate, remarking that if she did not run, someone else would step forward because nature abhors a vacuum. She argued that ecology and political unity have been central principles for her party from the beginning and remain inseparable, adding that ecological progress cannot be achieved without a united left because political opponents also oppose environmental policies.
Left-wing presidential strategy
When asked about the criticism from Mélenchon, who had spoken earlier on Saturday during the 13 Hours news broadcast on TF1, Tondelier declined to engage in personal political disputes. She remarked that maintaining a good mood was important for mental health, but insisted that humility was necessary across the political spectrum given the risk of elimination in the first round.
Tondelier also mocked recent praise given to Mélenchon by Monique Barbut, whom she described as a disastrous former ecology minister. She stated that neither the current French government nor any of its members, and least of all Barbut, were in a position to judge environmental policies. She added that she felt reassured Barbut had not identified her as a friend on ecological matters, saying such praise would have caused her concern.
Warnings over Rassemblement National
Turning to opinion polls predicting that the right-wing nationalist party Rassemblement National would qualify for the second round of the presidential election, Tondelier warned that a victory for the party would not represent an ordinary transfer of power. She expressed concern that some individuals might not realize the danger because their privileged position meant they would not be targeted first, predicting that significant cowardice would emerge.
Tondelier drew on her experience as an opposition municipal councillor in Hénin-Beaumont, a town in the northern department of Pas-de-Calais that has been governed by Rassemblement National since 2014. Having served on the municipal council from 2014 until 2026, she noted that her firsthand observation of local administration informed her understanding of the consequences of a Rassemblement National government.
When asked by Rochebin whether she anticipated acts of civil disobedience, such as calls to protest if Marine Le Pen won the presidency, Tondelier indicated that she expected very little resistance, though she noted that she personally knew how to organize such actions. Responding to suggestions that civil disobedience might be considered anti-republican, she questioned whether Rassemblement National members could be considered republican, warning that society would shift into an entirely different political world.
Upcoming presidential media appearances
Political maneuvers on the French left are set to continue as party leaders present their visions for the 2027 contest. Raphaël Glucksmann, who leads the Place Publique movement, is scheduled to appear as a guest on TF1's 20 Hours news broadcast on Sunday evening.
