Jean-Baptiste Marteau has taken over as presenter of France 2's evening news bulletin, the "20 Heures," replacing Léa Salamé while her partner, politician Raphaël Glucksmann, campaigns for the French presidency.
Salamé confirmed the move on Instagram on Monday, saying she was stepping back from the evening bulletin she had led since June 2025. She said she was stepping back from presenting the 20h news for the duration of her partner's candidacy, just as she had done during the last two European elections. She described the decision as obvious yet difficult.
Glucksmann, who leads the left-wing party Place publique, officially declared his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election on Sunday.
Marteau, Salamé's designated stand-in presenter, began hosting the bulletin from Monday. It was a logical handover, since he had already served as her regular substitute.
Marteau's rise at France Télévisions
The 43-year-old journalist joined France Télévisions in 2013, initially to cover political news. He presented his first bulletins for the morning programme Télématin in 2014, then became substitute presenter for the lunchtime news from 2016 and later for the 20h bulletin. Since 2023, he has hosted franceinfo's daily morning show.
Speaking to the outlet 20 Minutes in October, Marteau said the substitute role clearly marked a new stage in his career and represented an important challenge, as well as a strong show of confidence from the group's leadership and news division.
Another reshuffle at franceinfo
Marteau's move to cover for Salamé will trigger a further shuffle at franceinfo, where his departure from the morning show leaves a gap to be filled.
Campaign calendar forced an early announcement
According to media journalist Clément Garin, the original plan had been for Salamé to return to present the 20h bulletin toward the end of August and continue for a few weeks, on the assumption that Glucksmann would not formally announce his candidacy until the end of September.
Those plans changed after the first major debate of the campaign was scheduled for August 27 at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, during the Rencontre des entrepreneurs de France, an event organised by the employers' federation Medef. That date pushed Glucksmann to move up his announcement, and he declared his candidacy on Sunday during TF1's own evening news bulletin.
