The Telegraph reported that European Parliament member Raphaël Glucksmann, who recently announced his intention to run in the 2027 French presidential election, is the grandson of a Soviet spy.
The European Parliament member had officially announced his candidacy for the French presidential elections scheduled for 2027, in a move he described as a national duty to confront the far right, while the British newspaper The Telegraph highlighted his family background, revealing that he is the grandson of a former Soviet spy.
In this context, the newspaper reported that the grandfather of the French politician, Robin Glucksmann, immigrated to Palestine in the 1920s, where he embraced communist ideology and joined the Communist International, and later worked as a spy for the Soviet Union in France, Germany and the United Kingdom under the guise of a businessman.
On the political front, despite criticizing some of the current president’s pro-business policies, Glucksmann adopts a similar stance in his support for Europe and Ukraine, placing himself among the staunch defenders of liberal democracy.
In an interview with French television channel TF1, he added that the left could win if it stuck to its principles, calling for an end to the fear of Mélenchon, alluding to the challenges he faces in opinion polls and the urgent need to unite the moderate left. Glucksmann, a member of Paris's wealthy and influential elite, led the moderate left-wing alliance in the 2024 European Parliament elections, securing 14 percent of the vote. A graduate of Sciences Po, the prestigious Parisian institution considered a breeding ground for future French leaders, he pursued a career in journalism and documentary filmmaking.
Glucksmann, who leads the moderate left, hopes to challenge radical left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon to become the leading left-wing candidate in the race for the Élysée Palace, especially at a time when Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, consistently tops the polls for the first round, putting potential centrist and left-wing candidates in front of an uphill battle to win in the runoff.
It wasn't just his policies that propelled him into the spotlight, but also his relationship with Léa Salamé, a prominent news anchor on France 2, whom the French press consistently describes as one of the most influential couples in the country. Photographs taken of them on a Corsican beach during the summer garnered significant attention in Paris Match magazine, a publication that has long served as a launching pad for presidential candidates over the past decades.
French media reported that Salamé will withdraw from presenting news bulletins during the presidential campaign to avoid any conflict of interest. The French presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a second round to be held on May 2 if necessary. Current President Emmanuel Macron is ineligible to run for re-election as he is serving his second consecutive term.
