"It is the launch of a dynamic because we believe it is essential to have a vast movement centered on ecology and which obviously does not enter into the diktat of Mélenchon and Nupes, an ecology which inspires, pragmatic, which is very republican, secular and of course European", declared the former Minister of Ecology, Corinne Lepage, during a joint press conference Tuesday in Paris.

This gathering notably includes Cap21, Le Mouvement des progressistes and Ecology at the center of Jean-Marc Governatori - unsuccessful candidate for the primary ecologists in September -, three movements which were part of the "ecologist pole", this political coalition launched in August 2020, with EELV, Génération Ecologie and Générations in particular.

But the environmental pole was shattered after the failure of their presidential candidate Yannick Jadot and then the Nupes agreement, to which only EELV and Generations chose to adhere.

Other small movements, such as "Ecology Otherwise", "Freedom Ecology Fraternity", "Animal Generation", as well as members of EELV and Generations opposed to the Nupes are also part of this gathering.

“We have all gathered 250 candidates for these legislative elections” of June 12 and 19, underlined Ms. Lepage, but other candidates will also be supported by this gathering.

In total, "there will be 400 environmental candidates" outside Nupes, said Jean-Marc Governatori.

For him, "EELV made the political decision to merge into La France insoumise".

"The fact is that there is a very large ecological electorate who are orphans, who did not vote in the presidential election, who would not have voted in the legislative elections if we had not done this rally", he said. -he assures.

"The logic is to present environmental candidates where there were none. There were Melenchonist candidates but there were no environmental candidates and we want to give people the opportunity to vote green", added Christophe Rossignol, secretary general of Libertés, Écologie, Fraternité.

In the constituencies where a Nupes candidate is clearly identified as an environmentalist, "we do not present a candidate against them", he specified.

"After the legislative elections, there will be a second phase of construction of the rally, with a common label, to put themselves in battle order for European women", added Corinne Lepage.

© 2022 AFP