These union efforts, which should theoretically end on Sunday evening, inflame in return the minority of the Socialist Party (PS) clearly hostile to an alliance with La France insoumise (LFI).

"If the discussions do not end tonight, then it will never end", launched in the Paris Labor Day parade the head of LFI, who came third in the presidential election.

"It's progressing, be sure that we are doing everything in our power to make it move forward," assured Jean-Luc Mélenchon, cheered by the demonstrators on his arrival at Place de la République in Paris.

"The subject is whether or not we are aiming for victory."

A deal tonight?

"Tonight, I'm sleeping," replied a few tens of meters away Olivier Faure, the First Secretary of the PS: "There is no + deadline +, you have to succeed. We can see that we don't It's not that far from a deal. We'll keep talking tonight."

A few minutes later, Messrs.

Faure and Mélenchon shook hands, before engaging in a brief conversation to cries of "Popular Union!"

in the crowd.

The first secretary of the PS Olivier Faure, April 5, 2018 in Paris JOEL SAGET AFP / Archives

With 21.95% of Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first round of the presidential election on April 10, LFI quickly launched bilateral discussions with the other left-wing parties in order to find an agreement for the legislative elections.

Negotiations with the ecologists of EELV, the Communist Party (PCF), the PS and the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA), all below 5% in the April 10 election, have been moving forward since then.

"On paper, it's all there"

"In theory, on paper, everything is there to reach an agreement with the Popular Union on the shared program that we have proposed", explained at the microphone of a journalist from Figaro Eric Coquerel, lieutenant of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. present in the event.

"With Europe Ecologie, we frankly do not understand, because everything is settled (...). We agree on everything", he detailed.

And "with the other forces, there too we do not understand very well, because they have an assured group, we leave them a larger proportion of candidates than the results of the first round would let them hope for. Everyone will note that nor can we erase the results of the first round. The voters would not understand it".

French presidential candidate EELV Yannick Jadot in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, March 31, 2022 Thomas SAMSON AFP

"We are there in the difficulties, we will see in the hours to come if we manage to resolve them", he added.

If "everything is settled" in appearance for the Greens, the socialist Olivier Faure is negotiating with LFI under the pressure of an increasingly vehement internal opposition.

His predecessor at the head of the PS, Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, published an open letter on Sunday referring in particular to LFI's desire to "get out of the European treaties", bring retirement back to 60 and launch "dizzying impracticable expenses", all points that Anne Hidalgo had strongly criticized during the presidential campaign.

The communist presidential candidate, Fabien Roussel, in Paris on April 14, 2022 EMMANUEL DUNAND AFP / Archives

The PS had also criticized Mr. Mélenchon for his criticism of support for Ukraine invaded by Russia, and his rejection of NATO.

A regular critic of Olivier Faure, Stéphane Le Foll - also close to François Hollande - dropped his blows on Sunday in an interview with Le Point: "The Socialist Party has entered into a logic of submission" and "the urgency for Olivier Faure is to save himself. He is ready to sell off all socialist history for an agreement on 20 constituencies, this is unacceptable".

© 2022 AFP