Beginning of the popular Primary vote: “It is an unprecedented showdown”

Audio 07:40

People gather at Place de la Republique in Lille, northern France, on January 15, 2022 during a rally promoting 'La Primaire Populaire' (The People's Primary).

© AFP/Francois Lo Presti

By: Florent Guignard Follow

1 min

Launched this Thursday, the vote of the popular Primary which must designate a single candidate on the left will deliver its results on Sunday.

But most of the presidential candidates refused to take part in this unofficial ballot.

So what is this primer really for?

Answers with Rémi Lefebvre, professor of political science at the University of Lille. 

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The popular initiative vote is supposed to decide between left-wing candidates in the presidential election by awarding them grades ranging from “very good” to “insufficient”.

Seven candidates are in the running, some against their will: Christiane Taubira, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Yannick Jadot, Anne Hidalgo, Pierre Larrouturou and two people from civil society, Charlotte Marchandise and Anna Agueb-Porterie.

Rémi Lefebvre is the author of

(La documentation française)

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• French politics

• Presidential France 2022

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