From the rebellious to the socialists, passing through the ecologists and the communists, will the French left succeed in uniting for the legislative elections, in the absence of having been able to do so for the presidential election? Six weeks before the elections, the question is more relevant than ever. On the move: LFI, which wants to bring people together. The PS is rather in agreement, but it gets stuck on the side of Europe Ecology-The Greens.
With a very comfortable 22% in the first round of the presidential election, the leader of La France insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, wants to transform the trial and unite the left around him.
His party has started negotiations on the left for the legislative elections next June. Objective: to obtain a majority in the Assembly, explains Pierre Olivierfrom the political service of RFI.
On the side of the Socialist Party (PS), it works. It is very satisfied that the spokesperson for the rose party, Pierre Jouvet, emerged Wednesday morning from a meeting with the Insoumis.
” We had a constructive discussion, allowing us to see and consider that there was no insurmountable sticking point between us. “, he explains.
Because to lead the union, rebellious France sets its conditions and demands to take as a basis its presidential program. Manuel Bompard, the party’s chief negotiator, distributes the good points:
” Honestly, he confides, we didn’t feel like we were discussing with the same Socialist Party as two or three years ago. »
“We ask that environmentalists have a group in the Assembly”
With Europe Ecology-The Greens (EELV), on the other hand, things are more complicated. The disagreements relate to the number of deputies, but also to the program.
With regard to Europe Ecology-The Greens, over the past few hours, there have been a number of difficulties and I hope they can be clarified. But for us, for the moment, the sticking point is programmatic. There are points on which, during our first exchange, we were told that there was no difficulty, and on which we realized as we discussed that in the end , there were difficulties. The issue of price freezes, in particular fuel price freezes, on which we were initially told “there are no difficulties, we agree”, now we are told “in the end, it’s more complicated than that”. The ball is in their court on this subject. We ask them to clarify these different points, and if these points are clarified, we can continue this discussion.
Manuel Bompard, MEP La France insoumise
Response in the afternoon from EELV, which held a press briefing on the progress of the negotiations. For the leader of the party, Julien Bayou, the blockage would come not from the program, but from the number of deputies where LFI would let ecologists represent its popular union.
We ask that the ecologists have a group in the Assembly, it would correspond to approximately one ecologist for five rebellious deputies, that’s 20%. It is not unreasonable, it is the proposal which is on the table, free to insubordinate France to refuse it, if it wishes. She is perfectly sovereign. Simply, it would be incoherent to say “we refuse the proposal of the ecologists and we claim all the same to arrive at a majority in the country”. Because if we want to get majorities in each of the 577 constituencies, we have to add up the electorates. On April 10, this is what failed in the strategy of La France insoumise to reach the second round.
Julien Bayou, National Secretary of Europe Ecology-The Greens
For Alain Coulombel, member of the management of EELV, the rebellious even replay, without saying it, the scenario of 2017, when they refused any agreement or negotiation with their potential allies.
” We have the feeling, sometimes today, that La France insoumise returns to hegemonic reflexes of 2017 “, he confides.
These disagreements irritate LFI. The party will present its candidates next Saturday, while a congress of ecologists devoted to the legislative elections will take place at the same time.
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Former candidates reluctant to participate, except perhaps Roussel
All these discussions take place without the ex-candidates of the political parties concerned, not always on the same wavelength as their party, explains Aurelien Devernoixfrom the political service of RFI.
All gathered behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for example, it’s “no thank you” for Yannick Jadot, who wants his political family to keep all its autonomy, or it will be without him.
What cause a slight embarrassment on the side of the management of EELV, where we put these statements on the account of the disappointment of the presidential election and the rivalries it has aroused.
.@yjadot : “Jean-Luc Mélenchon has captured the fed up of voters and voters on the left. In this campaign, he made demonstrations of force. He has been in the presidential campaign for 12 years.” #le79Inter pic.twitter.com/4EOSKyVPYf
– France Inter (@franceinter) April 26, 2022
On the PS side, ditto: Anne Hidalgo warned against “ all the populisms “from the evening of the second round. The PS expects a volley of criticism from those close to the mayor of Paris, if the negotiations continue.
Here again, the management is trying to spare susceptibilities, while recalling that Anne Hidalgo did not want to join the committee responsible for preparing the legislative elections.
On the other hand, on the side of the French Communist Party (PCF), Fabien Roussel seems more in tune with his negotiators at LFI. But after each important meeting, he makes his own melody heard during press conferences, as much for his troops as for his potential partners on the left.
In short, not easy for the ex-candidates to go back into the shadows, after having lived under the sun of the presidential election. But now it’s the devices that talk.
►Political Tuesday: Manon Aubry, spokesperson for Jean-Luc Mélenchon