Though he's an articulate man with what is referred to as a 'hinterland' (many of his critics on the right recognise that he has a greater grasp of history and broader politics than any other figure in French politics), Melanchon is always presented as a divisive figure, and as a problem for LFI. It is fairly easy to demonise him, and he sometimes doesn't help himself. You couldn't accuse him of lack of self-belief, nor self-esteem. He has indicated in the past that he wouldn't stand again, and that LFI might/would be naming an alternative candidate, perhaps his ego got in the way. Again. That said, I always had a 'personal' problem with Corbyn (I also have a problem accepting Doku as a left-winger, because he's called Jéremy). LFI sometimes echoes the anti-EU stance of the RN, and for much the same reasons. While the globalist stance of the EU is obviously not beyond criticism, that won't be changed from the outside. Some of the potential candidates on the left are calling for a primary in order to decide on a candidate, this has the virtue of perhaps re-invigorating the the coallition that performed better than expected at the last Parliamentory elections. Also, LFI's performance at the recent local elections was helped by support from the broader left in the two-stage elections, though the Socialist Party seemed, and seems, to be doing its best to scupper this alliance. So it seems that we are in the familiar position of having an identifiable enemy that controls most of the channels by which information is disseminated, a public service broadcaster which is (at least) as biased as the BBC, and a broad left arguing about who is the most anti-fascist. I suppose that I will end up voting for a right-wing Gaullist, AGAIN, because they are not (exactly) the RN. Vive la democracie!