Far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon embraced technology during the launch of his presidential campaign at a rally in Lyon on Sunday, with a 3D hologram of him making his speech appearing at the same time at another rally in Paris, reports Reuters.
Melenchon, wearing a Nehru-style jacket, tried to use the hologram technology to give a modern look to his launch, which coincided with that of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Melenchon is certainly not the first politician to employ such technology - in 2014, then-Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan used a huge hologram of himself to attract wider support, while India's Narendra Modi trounced the opposition with a campaign that included holograms of his speeches in villages across the country.
Melenchon tried to position himself on Sunday as a key adversary of Marine Le Pen, choosing Lyon - and almost the same timing - for the launch of his campaign.
Le Pen, speaking in Lyon on Sunday, told thousands of flag-waving supporters chanting "This is our country!" that she alone would protect them against Islamic fundamentalism and globalisation if elected president in May.
There are some similarities between Mélenchon's platform and Le Pen's, as both are sceptical of the EU and globalisation, but they differ sharply on other issues including migration.
During his speech, Melenchon mentioned the Socialist party's presidential candidate Benoît Hamon, who has called on left-wing forces to unite.
"Everyone wants to abolish El Khomri (a labour law), including the socialist candidate. I wonder what holds him back?" said Mélanchon, who has between 11 and 11.5 percent support, according to Friday's BVA poll.