"After a vote of the board of directors which brings together volunteers, local groups, members of the permanent team and the office, the Primary Popular chooses today to support and to campaign for the Popular Union, best political vehicle to win our ideas in the presidential election", explains the citizen movement, in a press release, without quoting Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
"The vote, carried out by majority judgment, placed the motion of support for the Popular Union in the lead with more than 50% of mention Very Good", explains the citizen movement.
The popular primary admits "that the political strategy of gathering (on the left, editor's note) that we have been carrying out for months has not worked because the candidates do not wish to come together before the first round", but affirms that "our citizens' movement which has aroused the enthusiasm of half a million people, will not stop there".
Without ever quoting Christiane Taubira either, the primary stresses that "the impossibility for the candidate supported by the greatest citizen designation of this presidential election to obtain the 500 sponsorships reinforces our finding that the rules of the democratic game are obsolete".
Christiane Taubira emerged victorious from the vote of more than 392,000 voters, ahead of the ecologist Yannick Jadot, who came in 2nd position, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (3rd).
"Our mobilizing force must serve the victory of ecology and social justice. Now we must win," says the popular primary.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon's campaign manager, Manuel Bompard, welcomed this support in a tweet: "The dynamic is still widening around Jean-Luc Mélenchon's candidacy. Welcome to those who want to take their part in this battle until 'To Victory! To Work!'.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, LFI presidential candidate, during a meeting in Saint-Denis-de-la-Réunion on February 26, 2022 Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP
For Yannick Jadot, the popular primary "has become a gag".
"Let's recognize that in all this time when they fueled the debate, we never quite understood what they wanted. I leave them to their internal thing, which for a long time no longer interests the campaign, nor the French", he said on BFMTV, on the sidelines of the demonstration of support for Ukraine.
For EELV MEP David Cormand, the "clarification (is) welcome", he tweeted.
"On the other hand, sorry for the 400,000 sincere people who were deceived by this assembly, and of which - for some - it was the first engagement. Do not be disgusted with politics because of them... You are better than what they will ever be".
© 2022 AFP