After four days of intense negotiations, the left forces finally reached an agreement. The four parties announced Thursday evening that they had sealed a “government program” to support “single candidacies” for the early legislative elections of June 30 and July 7.
“We have succeeded. A page in the history of France is being written,” the first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, rejoiced on “. “Change is on the way”, tweeted the leader of the communists Fabien Roussel while the boss of the Ecologists Marine Tondelier estimated that an “immense expectation of union has been expressed. With candidacies and a common program”. Only Raphaël Glucksmann, leader of the left for the Europeans, has not yet spoken.
Which applications?
The left-wing parties thus seal a new alliance, two years after the creation of Nupes, which, after many disagreements between its members, ended up breaking up after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 in Israel.
In the 577 constituencies of France, the New Popular Front, bringing together the PCF, LFI, EELV and the PS (with Place Publique), will present unique candidates for the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7. A critical point in the negotiations on which the parties finally managed to agree. France Insoumise thus inherits 229 constituencies (compared to 328 in 2022 with Nupes), 175 for the PS (compared to 70 in 2022), 92 for the environmentalists (compared to 100 in 2022) and 50 for the PCF. It remains to distribute them.
Not all outgoing candidates will necessarily be re-elected, like the deputy from the North Adrien Quatennens, convicted of domestic violence. The LFI electoral committee was to meet overnight to decide on nominations, including this one. The Greens have already decided not to nominate their former national secretary Julien Bayou, outgoing deputy from Paris, targeted by a complaint for moral harassment and abuse of weakness, who had resigned from the party.
For which program?
As for the program, the broad outlines have already leaked, even if the details must be given at midday. The union of the left thus worked on “a political program of rupture with a variation for the first 100 days of the mandate”, with 140 measures.
On BFMTV Thursday evening, the outgoing deputy from the North and leader of the PCF Fabien Roussel, notably mentioned the indexation of salaries to inflation, as well as for pensions, which will therefore increase immediately. “We have succeeded in putting forward a pact for purchasing power,” summarizes the communist. Another flagship measure carried by the left-wing coalition: the repeal of the pension reform. Questioned on 8 p.m. on France 2 the day before, LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon repeated that “the objective was indeed a return to 60!” “If the left comes to power, those over 62 will retire immediately,” he assured. The left also announces that it wants to repeal the law on unemployment insurance as well as the immigration law.
In recent months, the fractures of the left have crystallized in international political issues, notably the war in Gaza. But the New Popular Front seems to have agreed. “Everyone put their all into it to have the clearest program […] including on the qualification of the crimes which were committed on October 7 “by Hamas in Israel”, but also on “the release of the hostages”, indicated Fabien Roussel on BFMTV. From Thursday, The Express further revealed that “training” in the fight against anti-Semitism was requested from the elected representatives of the Popular Front, whether they are rebellious, green, socialists or communists. “We all agree that in our country racism and anti-Semitism have spread in recent years […] We write it,” explained Fabien Roussel.
For the rest, a joint press conference between the different left-wing groups should take place this Friday, June 14 at midday to detail the 140 measures of this common program.