NUPES. The union of the left for the legislative elections carries a common program of 650 measures. How to convince the French? The polls are encouraging. From there to bring Jean-Luc Mélenchon to Matignon?
This is the element of language repeated at will: Jean-Luc Mélenchon Prime Minister! Since the evening of the defeat of the leader of La France insoumise in the first round of the presidential election, his supporters cherish the sweet dream of seeing him settle in Matignon. But how, when Emmanuel Macron has been re-elected President of the Republic? The objective of the Insoumis is clearly displayed: to win the legislative elections and impose cohabitation on the Head of State. After the failures of access to the second round in 2017 and 2022, attributed to a left unable to unite to return to power, the quarrels and invectives of the campaign quickly gave way to discussion between the different formations. Ignoring (or almost) disagreements and uniting around a common project with the same aim appeared undeniable on the left to prevent La République en Marche from implementing its program.
The Arlesian of the presidential finally quickly became reality. Despite some tensions, LFI, EELV, the PS and the PCF have come to an agreement. The New Popular Ecological and Social Union (NUPES) is launched. 25 years that this was expected, since the plural left implemented by the PS to make Lionel Jospin the Prime Minister of Jacques Chirac. This political force, which appears to be the second in the country with regard to the results of the presidential election, can it shake up Emmanuel Macron and force him to make Jean-Luc Mélenchon his Prime Minister?
Despite their differences on certain themes (nuclear, secularism, etc.), the various left-wing parties have managed to agree on a program. “We agree on 95% of things. There are 5% on which we are not, or less. We have identified them. We already have 650 measures on which we agree”, explained Aurélien Taché, NUPES candidate in Val-d’Oise, at Linternaute (read here). If the alliance details on its website all of its proposals, some are to be retained:
- Smic at 1500 euros net
- Passage to 32 hours of work per week for arduous or night jobs
- 6e week of paid vacation
- Establish a maximum quota of precarious contracts
- Establish a dignity guarantee and an autonomy allowance for young people of €1,063/month.
- Restore retirement at age 60
- Restore ISF
- Launch a depollution plan for the maritime facades of France
- Reopening of closed train lines
- Include the green rule in the Constitution
- Establish the RIC
- Establish the Sixth Republic
- Introduce proportional representation for the legislative elections
Although they are less numerous than for the presidential election, several polls concerning the legislative elections have been carried out since the start of the campaign. And it is an understatement to say that the union of the left seems to be bearing fruit. According to various institutes, the NUPES is given neck and neck with LREM in the first round of the ballot, organized on June 12. The candidates representing Jean-Luc Mélenchon would collect, at the national level, around 25% of the votes, i.e. a level similar to that of the Macronists (a margin of error of around 2pts is however to be taken into account).
In this context, can the left begin to dream of having a majority in the National Assembly? Not so fast. Because according to the projections on the number of seats obtained by political color, it is indeed the coalition of the presidential majority which is given in the lead. But the NUPES would however allow the left to return in force to the Bourbon Palace. While only 73 deputies of this obedience (LFI, PCF, PS, PRG, EELV, DVG) have been present since 2017, the alliance could contain around 170 deputies on June 19. The majority is 289 seats.
For the legislative elections, the New Popular Ecological and Social Union has invested one candidate in each of the 577 constituencies. With a distribution according to the parties according to the score obtained in the presidential election. Thus, 326 candidates are related to La France insoumise, when 80 are from EELV, 70 from the PS and 50 from the PCF. The rest of the nominations correspond to candidates from other environmental currents or non-agreement nominations for overseas territories and Corsica.
Several leading figures from the various political movements present themselves. Manuel Bompard, who will try to succeed Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Alexis Corbière, Danielle Simonet, Clémentine Autain, Adrien Quatennens, Eric Coquerel or even Raquel Garrido for LFI; Julien Bayou, Sandrine Rousseau or Delphine Batho for EELV and ecologists; Olivier Faure and Valérie Rabaud on the PS side; Fabien Roussel for the PCF.