French far-left presidential hopeful woos voters’ senses
NANTES, France (AP) — Far-left French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is seeking to reinvigorate his flagging campaign for April’s election with an unusual rally. He’s using videos, sounds and smells diffused through an exhibition hall in the western city of Nantes. The once-powerful French left wing is deeply fractured and struggling to make its voice heard in a presidential campaign where far-right and conservative figures have grabbed most of the attention so far. Melenchon wants the state to guarantee jobs for everyone and to pull out of NATO and disobey EU rules. He is also divisive and refuses to form a united front with other left-wing candidates against centrist President Emmanuel Macron.