French legislative: discussions around LFI, the PS rather open, blockages with EELV

The representatives of the Socialist Party Laurent Baumel, Christophe Clergeau, Corinne Narassiguin, Boris Vallaud, Sébastien Vincini and Pierre Jouvet arrive at the headquarters of La France insoumise (LFI) in Paris, this Wednesday, April 27, 2022. AFP - CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

Text by: RFI Follow

5 mins

From the rebellious to the socialists, passing through the ecologists and the communists, will the French left succeed in uniting for the legislative elections, in the absence of having been able to do so for the presidential election?

Six weeks before the elections, the question is more relevant than ever.

On the move: LFI, which wants to bring people together.

The PS is rather in agreement, but it gets stuck on the side of Europe Ecology-The Greens.

Advertisement

Read more

With a very comfortable 22% in the first round of the presidential election, the leader of La France insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, wants to transform the trial and unite the left around him.

His party has begun negotiations on the left for the legislative elections next June.

Objective: to obtain a majority in the Assembly, explains 

, of the political service of RFI.

On the side of the Socialist Party (PS), it works.

It is very satisfied that the spokesperson for the rose party, Pierre Jouvet, emerged Wednesday morning from a meeting with the Insoumis.

“ 

,” he explains.

Because to lead the union, rebellious France sets its conditions and demands to take its presidential program as a basis.

Manuel Bompard, the party's chief negotiator, distributes the good points:

“ 

he confides,

 »

The entrance to LFI's headquarters in Paris, symbolically renamed 'Matignon' these days, in reference to the French Prime Minister's residence in Paris on April 27, 2022 ahead of the meeting with PS representatives to discuss a possible election deal between the two parties for the June 2022 legislative elections in France.

AFP - CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

“We ask that environmentalists have a group in the Assembly”

With Europe Ecology-The Greens (EELV), on the other hand, things are more complicated.

The disagreements relate to the number of deputies, but also to the program. 

With regard to Europe Ecology-The Greens, over the past few hours, there have been a number of difficulties and I hope that they can be clarified.

But for us, for the moment, the sticking point is programmatic.

There are points on which, during our first exchange, we were told that there was no difficulty, and on which we realized as we discussed that in the end , there were difficulties.

The issue of price freezes, in particular fuel price freezes, on which we were initially told "there are no difficulties, we agree", now we are told "in the end, it's more complicated than that".

The ball is in their court on this subject.

Manuel Bompard, MEP La France insoumise

Pierre Olivier

Response in the afternoon from EELV, which held a press briefing on the progress of the negotiations.

For the leader of the party, Julien Bayou, the blockage would come not from the program, but from the number of deputies where LFI would let ecologists represent its popular union.

We ask that the ecologists have a group in the Assembly, it would correspond to approximately one ecologist for five rebellious deputies, that's 20%.

It is not unreasonable, it is the proposal which is on the table, free to insubordinate France to refuse it, if it wishes.

She is perfectly sovereign.

Simply, it would be incoherent to say "we refuse the proposal of the ecologists and we claim all the same to arrive at a majority in the country".

Because if we want to get majorities in each of the 577 constituencies, we have to add up the electorates.

On April 10, this is what was lacking in the strategy of La France insoumise to reach the second round.

Julien Bayou, National Secretary of Europe Ecology-The Greens

Pierre Olivier

For Alain Coulombel, member of the management of EELV, the rebellious even replay, without saying it, the scenario of 2017, when they refused any agreement or negotiation with their potential allies.

“ 

 ”, he confides.

These disagreements irritate LFI.

The party will present its candidates next Saturday, while a congress of ecologists devoted to the legislative elections will take place at the same time.

►Morning guest: "

Former candidates reluctant to participate, except perhaps Roussel

All these discussions take place without the ex-candidates of the political parties concerned, not always on the same wavelength as their party, explains

, from the political service of RFI.

All gathered behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for example, it's "no thank you" for Yannick Jadot, who wants his political family to keep all its autonomy, or it will be without him.

What cause a slight embarrassment on the side of the management of EELV, where we put these statements on the account of the disappointment of the presidential election and the rivalries it has aroused.

.@yjadot: "Jean-Luc Mélenchon has captured the fed up of left-wing voters. In this campaign, he made demonstrations of force. He has been in the presidential campaign for 12 years."

#le79Inter pic.twitter.com/4EOSKyVPYf

– France Inter (@franceinter) April 26, 2022

PS side, ditto: Anne Hidalgo warned against " 

 " from the evening of the second round.

The PS expects a volley of criticism from those close to the mayor of Paris, if the negotiations continue.

Here again, the management is trying to spare susceptibilities, while recalling that Anne Hidalgo did not want to join the committee responsible for preparing the legislative elections.

On the other hand, on the side of the French Communist Party (PCF), Fabien Roussel seems more in tune with his negotiators at LFI.

But after each important meeting, he makes his own melody heard during press conferences, as much for his troops as for his potential partners on the left.

In short, not easy for the ex-candidates to go back into the shadows, after having lived under the sun of the presidential election.

But now it's the devices that talk.

►Political Tuesday: Manon Aubry, spokesperson for Jean-Luc Mélenchon

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

• French politics

• Jean-Luc Melenchon

• France