François Ruffin was re-elected in the 1st constituency of the Somme in the legislative elections. On the left, he is one of the serious candidates for the post of Prime Minister.
Candidate for re-election in the 1st constituency of the Somme, François Ruffin was re-elected by beating the RN candidate Nathalie Ribeiro-Billet, with 51.90% of the vote. News announced from the small town of Flixecourt, in his constituency of the Somme. “Four weeks ago, in sorrow, on the edge of the ravine, we had a left in pieces. So, we launched to the parties “be united”, we launched to the parties “popular front”, as if to warm ourselves in the fire of our history, and, like our elders of 1936, we came out on top (…) And this evening hope is reborn” he declared. So, could François Ruffin be the representative of the “collective project” mentioned by the first secretary of the PS Olivier Faure this Sunday? Could he occupy the function of Prime Minister and govern under Emmanuel Macron? Elements of an answer.
François Ruffin, 3rd favorite left-wing political figure of the French
If since the creation of the New Popular Front, its members have been harassed by the same question: who would be their candidate for the post of Prime Minister?Some left-wing figures have said they are “ready” and “capable” of assuming the responsibility of head of government: among the rebels, François Ruffin and Clémentine Autain have opened this door, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon has several times proposed Manuel Bompard, Mathilde Panot and Clémence Guetté. But now that the party has closed the door to any coalition going beyond the left, the presence of these figures in the next government is losing credibility. However, François Ruffin appears as a figure capable of uniting people around him, much less divisive than Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Furthermore, according to the Elabe barometer for The echoespublished on Thursday, June 13, François Ruffin is the third favorite left-wing political figure of the French after Raphaël Glucksmann and François Hollande. He has a 24% positive image against 36% negative, surpassing Jean-Luc Mélenchon, with 16% positive against 70% negative. Praised by the French, François Ruffin could therefore be part of the “short list” on the left to enter Matignon.
“I am ready to take the place that is wanted to transform people’s lives”
Then, François Ruffin had already expressed some inclinations in the event of a positive result for the New Popular Front during this legislative election. He did not hesitate to say that he was ready to become Prime Minister: “If ever there is a consensus that should result in a name, I am ready to take the place that we want to transform people’s lives” on France Bleu Picardie. The one who is part of Picardy Stand Up! also seemed tempted by the position of Minister of Sports: “If ever in the history of our country, whatever position I may occupy, if it is at Matignon as Prime Minister, why not. But if it is as Minister of Sports and I manage to provide sport for all, for all the children of our country, I will be proud of it,” he added.
François Ruffin’s positions on employment
He is particularly in favour of indexing wages to inflation: if prices increase by a certain percentage, wages increase by the same amount. He also wants to act to consolidate jobs: “the big problem today is that we have transformed jobs into “piece jobs”, that is to say that we have reduced the share of permanent contracts in employment by five points. Why? Because there has been an explosion in the number of self-employed people. However, jobs must provide status and income”, he argued. He also wants to redirect public aid for businesses towards “very small businesses/SMEs and industry”. He also says he is against selective and targeted immigration in certain sectors, but not the idea of a border.