Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Founder of France Unbowed; declared candidate for president, his fourth run
Jean-Luc Mélenchon gets an F
Score: 16 out of 100, the average of 6 measures. Graded on what Mélenchon has said and done, because we count recorded votes only for the US Congress. Every line is below, with its source.
- FIran: the regimeAgainst liberty, 2 sources
- FIsraelAgainst liberty, 2 sources
- FAlliesAgainst liberty, 3 sources
- FBordersAgainst liberty, 1 source
- ?IslamizationNot clear either way, 2 sources
- ASecularismWith liberty, 1 source
- FCapitalismAgainst liberty, 2 sources
- ?Free speechNot clear either way, 1 source
Mélenchon, on the record
14 things Mélenchon has said and done. Each one has its source, and each is marked with the same test we use for votes in Congress. A line that does not settle the question is marked as not clear and counts for nothing.
-
Said that as president he would not follow the American and Israeli war on Iran and would try to make those who launched it back down.
“I would try to make those who decided on their own, and in violation of international law, to intervene in a country, back down”
In French:
J'essaierais de faire en sorte que ceux qui ont décidé tout seul, et en violation du droit international, une intervention sur un pays, de les faire reculer
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Condemning the strikes on the regime and working to stop them counts as against liberty.
-
In the same interview said he thinks very badly of the Iranian regime and that Iran must be kept from getting a nuclear weapon.
“I do not believe the world would be more stable and better company with more countries that have nuclear weapons”
In French:
Je ne crois pas que le monde serait plus stable et mieux fréquentable avec plus de pays qui ont les armes nucléaires
- By the test we use for votes
- Not clear either way
He is against an Iranian bomb but names no pressure he would apply, so the line does not settle the measure.
-
When President Macron announced France would recognise a Palestinian state in September 2025, asked why not at once and called for an arms embargo.
“Why in September and not now? And the arms embargo?”
In French:
Pourquoi en septembre et pas maintenant ? Et l'embargo sur les armes ?
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
An arms embargo on Israel and immediate recognition of a Palestinian state while Hamas held hostages counts as against liberty.
-
Named Israel as the most dangerous country in the region and accused it of committing a genocide.
“It is Israel that attacks all its neighbours, that starts the war and that is committing a genocide”
In French:
C'est Israël qui attaque tous ses voisins, qui déclenche la guerre et qui fait un génocide
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Calling Israel's war a genocide counts as against liberty.
-
Said NATO is useless and France should leave it, starting with the unified command.
“NATO is useless, we may as well leave it. All it does is put us under North American tutelage, that is all”
In French:
L'Otan, cela ne sert à rien, autant le quitter. Cela ne sert qu'à nous mettre sous tutelle nord-américaine, c'est tout
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Wanting out of NATO counts as against liberty.
-
Agreed that Taiwan is part of China and said France would stay out of it if Beijing intervened.
“We will not get involved. If I am President of the Republic, we will never go to war with China”
In French:
Nous ne nous en mêlerons pas. Si je suis le président de la République, nous ne ferons jamais la guerre à la Chine
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Refusing any backing for Taiwan against Beijing counts as against liberty.
-
Said on France 2, the day Ukraine hit Moscow with drones, that it was very unwise to accept Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia.
“very unwise to accept that Ukraine carries out deep strikes on the territory of Russia”
In French:
très imprudent d'accepter que l'Ukraine fasse des tirs en profondeur sur le territoire de la Russie
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Opposing Ukraine's use of its weapons against Russian territory limits support for Ukraine against Russia.
-
His programme makes the ten-year residence card the standard permit and gives legal status to undocumented workers, students and parents of schoolchildren.
“Make the ten-year residence card the standard residence permit and regularise workers, students and parents of children in school.”
In French:
Instituer la carte de séjour de dix ans comme titre de séjour de référence et régulariser les travailleurs, étudiants et parents d'enfants scolarisés.
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Regularising whole categories of undocumented migrants is mass regularisation, the side against liberty.
-
Told the parliamentary inquiry into links between parties and Islamic radical networks that his movement would never accept religious infiltration.
“Our movement will never accept religious infiltration”
In French:
Notre mouvement n'acceptera jamais l'entrisme religieux
- By the test we use for votes
- Not clear either way
It is a statement of principle with no act for or against any organisation, so it does not settle the measure.
-
Said he had made a terrible mistake in opposing the Islamic veil in the past and had changed his mind.
“I was convinced and I changed my mind. I told myself that I had made a terrible mistake”
In French:
j'ai été convaincu et j'ai changé d'avis. Je me suis dit que j'ai fait une erreur terrible
- By the test we use for votes
- Not clear either way
The measure counts veil bans in schools and public office; he does not say whether he would undo those, so the line does not settle it.
-
Told the same inquiry that a secular state is a founding question for his movement.
“The question of the secularism of the state is foundational”
In French:
La question de la laïcité de l'Etat est fondatrice
- By the test we use for votes
- With liberty
Keeping religion out of the state counts as with liberty.
-
Called the privatisation of the oil company Total a mistake and said its profits should be in the state's coffers.
“all of that should be in the state's coffers if we had not privatised”
In French:
tout cela devrait être dans les caisses de l'État si on n'avait pas privatisé
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Opposing privatisation and wanting the company state-owned counts as against liberty.
-
Promised to freeze prices, profit margins and rents.
“Freeze prices, freeze profit margins that cannot go on as they are, freeze rents so as not to be evicted before winter”
In French:
Bloquer les prix, bloquer les marges de profit qui ne peuvent continuer telles qu'elles sont, bloquer les loyers pour ne pas être expulsé avant l'hiver
- By the test we use for votes
- Against liberty
Price and rent controls counts as against liberty.
-
Said his first media law would break up the privately owned media groups, naming the owner of CNews and Europe 1 among others.
“It covers plenty of subjects, but the first is the breaking up of the monopolies”
In French:
Ça couvre plein de sujets, mais le premier, c'est la dislocation des monopoles
- By the test we use for votes
- Not clear either way
A law on who may own media is not a ban on speech, but it would give the government power over named outlets, so the line does not settle the measure.
Is F the right grade for Mélenchon?
Say it where other readers can answer you. Opinions, videos and corrections about this politician are all in one place.
FDiscussion
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Opinions, videos, corrections and bug reports about this politician, all in one place. What readers post is their own words, not ours. Our answers carry the Host tag.
Leave out anything private about anyone. The rules, what your account keeps, and what readers have changed so far
Think this grade is unfair?
Make your case on a call. The community meets every day with the hosts and the panel.