It is the apotheosis of a 1st of May where the left parties met in the Parisian parade.

The Federal Council of Europe Ecology-The Greens (EELV) validated, on the night of Sunday May 1 to Monday May 2, the agreement with La France insoumise (LFI) for the June legislative elections.

The text, negotiated over the past two weeks, was approved by 84 votes for, 10 against, 8 white ballots and one person who did not participate in the vote.

This agreement notably allocates 100 constituencies for the environmental pole, according to sources close to the negotiations.

If we exclude the small Generations movement which signed an agreement with LFI on Thursday, the negotiations between LFI and EELV were the most advanced of the bilateral discussions initiated by the Insoumis with each of the left forces, after the 22% of Jean- Luc Mélenchon in the presidential election.

Last compromises

The weekend made it possible to make the final compromises, around the relationship with Europe ("disobedience" but only to certain economic and budgetary rules if necessary), the common label ("New Popular Ecological and Social Union") or even on the division of constituencies, the most hotly debated subjects.

In the event of a majority in the National Assembly, "the Prime Minister would come from the largest group in the Assembly, namely Jean-Luc Mélenchon", stipulates the agreement.

The negotiations were not a long calm river.

Again on Wednesday the leader of environmentalists Julien Bayou tackled the rebellious negotiators deemed too tough in business at a press conference.

For their part, the Insoumis pointed to the supposed "internal differences" of EELV.

The outcome of the agreement is historic.

LFI and EELV have been the two dynamic left forces for several years, the first in the presidential elections of 2017 and 2022, the second in the intermediate elections since the European elections of 2019.

An LFI agreement with the Socialist Party would be just as historic, as the estrangement was deep since the departure of Jean-Luc Mélenchon from Solférino in 2008. But he will have to wait.

Negotiations started later and logically continued on Sunday evening.

"Victory as a goal"

"If the discussions do not end tonight, then it will never end", launched in the Paris Labor Day parade the head of LFI Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

"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.

"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', we have to succeed. We can see that we is not that far from an agreement. We will continue to talk tonight."

A few minutes later, Olivier Faure and Jean-Luc Mélenchon shook hands, before engaging in a brief conversation in front of the cameras to cries of "Popular Union!"

in the crowd.

Socialist Olivier Faure is negotiating with LFI under pressure from 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 PS had also criticized Jean-Luc Mélenchon for his criticism of support for Ukraine invaded by Russia, and his rejection of NATO.

With AFP

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