"You will see, all the ideas that they will come out in the coming weeks will have been in the AEC since 2017," recently trumpeted the leader of the Insoumis to the press about the other left-wing candidates.

The right to vote from 16 years old proposed by its socialist competitor Anne Hidalgo?

L'Insoumis recalls that he has been defending it for many years.

The declared desire of the ecologist Yannick Jadot to "reindustrialize the country"?

He dubbed it, noting that "Mr. Jadot's speech is moving towards positions much closer to ours".

"We claim continuity, the very strong basis of this program sold in 2017 to 360,000 copies", and "of which we are proud", explains to AFP the program coordinator Clémence Guetté.

The convening of a constituent assembly to found a more parliamentary Sixth Republic, state planning of the "ecological bifurcation", "the sharing of wealth" obtained thanks to increased taxation of salaries above 4,000 euros, retirement at 60: so many pillars of the 2017 program which are taken up for 2022, gathered in a book sold for three euros online and in bookstores.

But Clémence Guetté and her teams carried out patient updating and deepening work, relying in particular on the bills of the 17 deputies.

"The degree of precision and the operational character are stronger", welcomes Ms. Guetté.

The candidate of La France insoumise (LFI) for the presidential election, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, during the presentation of his program book "L'Avenir en commun" (AEC), on November 8, 2021 in Paris Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP / Archives

The program, with 84 key measures and 690 proposals in total, is thus provided more on gender equality (wages, fight against violence, parity), ecological planning (200 billion investments on "major projects "transport, energy and agriculture, the protection of" common goods such as water "...) or even overseas.

"Little Red Book"

The theme of the European Union is also undergoing an important change, even if the rebels wish it discreet.

It is no longer a question of threatening the EU with leaving France if its member countries refuse to revise the treaties, considered too restrictive, for public investment in particular.

The Insoumis now offer an "opt-out", that is to say disobedience to treaties on strategic points.

Visually, when the cover of the 2017 version played the sobriety of a practical manual, giving pride of place to the rebellious logo, that of 2022 features a portrait of Jean-Luc Mélenchon looking head-on at the voter, all smiles, in jacket and collar. black rolls.

Proof that La France insoumise relies on the notoriety of its founder and leader.

"There is a huge hypocrisy, a collective denial among the rebels, who claim to vote for a program and not for a person," smiles a former LFI executive.

"To put so much forward the program, to say that it is the ideas which are important", is a way of responding to the "reproach that we would be an army of small soldiers of Mélenchon", confides Merlin, militant Parisian LFI of 21 years .

He understands that we can, symbolically, "compare the Common Future with Mao's little red book or the Communist Party manifesto".

But "it is one of the most complete programs," he says.

For his part, the former LFI executive denounces the "sacredness of the AEC, a program which would be untouchable, preventing an understanding with the rest of the left" - whose seven candidates only total a quarter of the intentions of vote according to polls.

The Insoumis are organizing this weekend a large distribution of the 60,000 copies already printed, Friday in front of the universities, and Saturday and Sunday throughout France.

© 2021 AFP