Sunday evening is the deadline for an agreement mentioned by all the protagonists, who evoke the imperatives of electoral propaganda but also of campaigning for the legislative elections which are fast approaching, on June 12 and 19.

However, we are "still in the dark", slips to AFP Alain Coulombel, one of the negotiators of EELV, while the discussions resume Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the headquarters of LFI with his party.

"We are entering the home stretch, it is essential that (all parties) make slight efforts for the final adjustments", also tweeted Mr. Coulombel, for whom "it would be a strong signal and a message of hope for all our fellow citizens".

"It's progressing", for his part soberly commented Manuel Bompard, chief negotiator for LFI.

His training has been dominant since Jean-Luc Mélenchon's 22% on April 10, while all the others have been relegated below 5% giving them the right to reimbursement of their campaign expenses.

The desire to conclude an agreement seemed real on Saturday between LFI and EELV.

The two formations have tackled in depth the themes that could get in the way, such as Europe, the sharing of constituencies or even the mode of organization of the alliance, during the last two weeks.

An agreement "is in sight", hoped the leader of the Greens Julien Bayou on Friday morning, even believing that a joint parade on May 1, Sunday, would be the ideal symbol of a possible alliance.

Julien Bayou (D), national secretary of EELV, arrives at LFI headquarters in Paris on April 29, 2022, accompanied by EELV spokespersons Eva Esa and Alain Coulombel Thomas COEX AFP

With the Socialist Party, the flash reconciliation that has been taking shape since the middle of the week promises to be difficult, the Socialists having "suspended" their discussions on Friday noon.

In question, argued the party leadership: the "hegemonic" attitudes of LFI.

The rebellion of certain elected officials and a minority current who do not accept that the PS has subscribed to the ideological demands of the rebels (retirement at 60, partial disobedience to Europe, price freezes, etc.) also explain the procrastination of Olivier Faure and his lieutenants.

However, "the link is in no way broken" with LFI, a PS negotiator assured AFP on Saturday.

"Social-liberalism"

From these adventures, Jean-Luc Mélenchon gets annoyed.

The former presidential candidate, who is now targeting Matignon, calls on the left-wing parties on Saturday in the JDD to get out of "the permanent culture of defeat", regretting that they "let themselves be absorbed by their internal issues".

Presidential: the scores on the left by constituency Kenan AUGEARD AFP

His criticisms also target the PS just as much as EELV - and its "internal mode of operation" favoring the plurality of tendencies - and the PCF.

The communist Fabien Roussel, without waiting for an agreement which is too late for his taste, thus announced on Friday his candidacy for his re-election in his northern constituency of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux.

The Communists hope to have more constituencies than those of their outgoing deputies, claiming to be better established in certain areas, but swear that LFI does not offer it to them.

Symbol of the complex balances to be taken into account, the small Trotskyist party NPA for its part castigated in a press release the entry of the PS into the negotiations: "We do not believe that the PS, which has been the main agent of social-liberalism for 40 years in this country, could become overnight a force for breaking with liberal and anti-social policies."

The NPA however resumed discussions with LFI on Friday.

PCF national coordinator Igor Zamichiei arrives at LFI headquarters, April 29, 2022 Thomas COEX AFP

While the investiture of the candidates of the enlarged Popular Union takes place on May 7, Jean-Luc Mélenchon "warned" all his potential partners: "People will not accept twice to be robbed of victory by those who refuse to build this new majority".

Some mayors who compose with plural majorities have stepped up to defend this model of alliance, such as the ecologist Grégory Doucet in Lyon or in Nantes the socialist Johanna Rolland - yet Anne Hidalgo's former campaign director, who remains silent .

© 2022 AFP