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Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

French candidate uses hologram to travel campaign trail

People sit at a table on stage and look towards the hologram of hard-left French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, as he speaks to supporters who are gathered in Saint-Denis, near Paris, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. As Melenchon holds a rally in Lyon Sunday, a hologram of him is being projected by satellite to crowds in Paris. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)
People sit at a table on stage and look towards the hologram of hard-left French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, as he speaks to supporters who are gathered in Saint-Denis, near Paris, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. As Melenchon holds a rally in Lyon Sunday, a hologram of him is being projected by satellite to crowds in Paris. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

PARIS (AP) – French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon can’t be in two places at once.

But the 65-year-old hard-left hopeful is trying his hardest thanks to advances in technology.

As Melenchon held a rally in Lyon on Sunday, a hologram of him was projected by satellite to crowds in Paris.

Critics called it a headline-grabbing gimmick that obscures his firebrand politics.

Meanwhile, supporters of conservative candidate Francois Fillon hit the streets Sunday to try to stem damage to his campaign. They distributed tracts entitled “Stop the Manhunt.”