Centre-left French MEP Glucksmann says to run for president

Commentator-turned-politician Raphael Glucksmann on Sunday announced his candidacy for France's presidential election next year, joining a crowded field of far-right figures, centrists and fellow left-wingers.

"Yes, I am a candidate in the presidential election," Glucksmann, a 46-year-old European parliament deputy who leads the centre-left party Place Publique, told TF1 TV, saying his aim was to "lift up France".

Glucksmann emphasised he was not part of "classical political" circles, referring to his past work abroad in the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda and as a former adviser to the anti-Moscow former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili.

"It is not a decision I take lightly, especially given what we are going through now... We all have a knot in the stomach when we see what is happening to our nation," he said.

His move is expected to swiftly see his partner Lea Salame, a top newsreader on TF1's rival France 2 public TV, announce that she is stepping aside to avoid any conflict of interest in the presidential campaign.