Mélenchon holds first campaign rally in Saint-Denis as part of identity-based 'new France' strategy

The election of Bally Bagayoko and Aly Diouara as mayors in the Paris-region department of Seine-Saint-Denis in March were symbolically significant for Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Since 2018, the radical-left leader has made the area a testing ground for his 'new France' concept, as he is counting on the vote of its working-class citizens from immigrant communities for next year's presidential election.