Susanna Riva Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner surprised the French public by announcing his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election. At 37, the athlete told Le Parisien that he wanted to run to show that “France can get back on its feet” and that he wanted to present himself as a president who unites , defining himself as “neither right nor left”.
This statement places Riner outside the traditional bipolar spectrum, dominated by Marine Le Pen 's Rassemblement National and Jean-Luc Mélenchon's France Insoumise .
The protests of October 17, 2026, shake the entire country
On October 17, 2026, more than half a million citizens took to the streets across France.
The detonator was the high cost of living , but the demonstrations quickly turned into an avalanche of resentment accumulated over the last four years of minority governments. In Paris, there were looting, clashes with police, and the imposition of a nighttime curfew in some areas. In Limoges, the historic city hall was set on fire.
That same night, the government reported 1.800 arrests, while Prime Minister Lecornu extended the curfew to part of the capital.
Reactions from political parties and unions
France's main union, the CGT , has called a general strike for November 5, demanding a more decisive response to the protesters' demands. President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence and called an emergency summit, but the most interesting statements came from those preparing to replace Macron at the Elysée Palace. Jean-Luc Mélenchon participated in the protests, accusing the Paris Police Prefect of encouraging disorder and blaming the government for the unrest.
The candidate landscape in light of post-protest polls
The same protests have reshaped the electoral dynamics. According to the Ifop-Fiducial poll of October 22, Marine Le Pen holds 34-38% of the vote in the first round, up 2% from previous polls. Her right-hand man, Jordan Bardella, declared that the government "is collapsing under its own weight." Should Le Pen be legally incapacitated—she was convicted in the first instance in March 2025 for embezzlement of European funds and again on appeal in July 2026, although the ineligibility sentence was reduced—Bardella would be ready to take the helm of the RN.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, at 75 years old and having run for president four times, has gone from a fringe figure to a protagonist: polls now give him between 18% and 20% of the vote in the first round. These numbers place him, along with Édouard Philippe, Macron's former prime minister and founder of the centrist Horizons party , among the main contenders in the runoff against Le Pen.
Édouard Philippe tried to maintain a balanced position, declaring that he "preferred decisions and initiatives that would allow a return to order and the restoration of state authority." Raphaël Glucksmann, winner of the center-left primary on October 11 with 66% of the vote, attempted to ride the wave of protests but was perceived as a "clumsy attempt to imitate Mélenchon." Polls for the runoff show that, against Philippe, Le Pen is expected to get 56% and against Glucksmann 57%; against Mélenchon, the figure rises to 68%.
Teddy Riner's role in the election race
Although not yet appearing in the main polls, Riner's candidacy has already influenced the debate. His message of "unity" and declaration that he neither belongs to the left nor the right have sparked curiosity among voters tired of polarization. If he were to surpass the 5% threshold needed to advance to the second round, Riner could become the third pole in the political landscape, attracting votes from both those who reject traditional right-wing forces and those discouraged by the radical left.
With six months to go until the first round scheduled for April 18, 2027, France finds itself at a crossroads: on one side, a right-wing coalition led by Le Pen seeking to capitalize on the issue of public order; on the other, a radical left using the protests as a springboard, centered around a faltering centrist and a new sports star. The coming weeks, including the protests called by the CGT and any potential judicial decisions regarding Le Pen, will be crucial in determining who will contest the runoff and what political future awaits the country.