Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis | Joerg Carstensen/EPA | Joerg Carstensen/EPA Yanis Varoufakis endorses Macron in French presidential race The Greek ex-finance minister wrote that it was a ‘veritable mystery’ why leftist leaders had not yet endorsed Macron.

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis came out Tuesday in support of French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron "without equivocation" and criticized leftists who have not lined up behind the former economy minister.

In an opinion piece in Le Monde published Tuesday, Varoufakis, a self-proclaimed "erratic Marxist," took a swipe at the far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon who has not endorsed a candidate since his defeat in the first round of the French election on April 23.

Varoufakis wrote that it was a "veritable mystery" why "certain leaders of the left" had not yet favored the centrist candidate Macron over the far-right Le Pen in the second round of the French presidential election scheduled on May 7. "I refuse to be part of a generation of progressive Europeans who could prevent Marine Le Pen from winning the French presidency, but did not do so," Varoufakis wrote.

"Is Marine Le Pen really a less unacceptable option than her father?" Varoufakis wrote, referring to Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was kicked out of the Front National Party by Marine for his anti-Semitic statements. "Is Emmanuel Macron worse, from the left's point of view, than Jacques Chirac in 2002? If this isn't the case, then why do certain leaders from the left today refuse to support Macron against Le Pen? For me, it's a veritable mystery."

He argued that Le Pen could not be allowed to "seize the Elysée palace by surprise because of a tactically flawed indifference on our [the left's] part."

Following Mélenchon's silence, Le Pen issued a video calling on his supporters to back her against Macron in the second round vote. Many are expected to abstain from voting in the second round.