French presidential candidate Glucksmann says 'battle begins' to unite fragmented left

French presidential candidate Raphaël Glucksmann declared Monday that the "battle begins" as he launched a bid to unite a fragmented left ahead of next year's election, hours after he was flour-bombed by a protester. The 46-year-old EU lawmaker was elected the centre-left candidate on Sunday for the upcoming April-May presidential election, securing a commanding first-round victory that surprised even many within his own camp. The leader of the small centre-left Place Publique party now faces the challenge of uniting the divided mainstream left. The French left has been shut out of the presidential second round ever since François Hollande won in 2012. "At last, the battle begins," Glucksmann told broadcaster Radio France on Monday. "Finally, we're banishing the spirit of defeat from our hearts. I've had enough of this left that doesn't believe in victory." Glucksmann said his "entire life has prepared me for this historic moment". Who is Raphaël Glucksmann, winner of the French left presidential primary? To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from lo...