The referendum obtained 54.93% yes among the 3,577 voters among the 10,998 members, far from the 66% necessary to be adopted, according to the final figures.

The statutes and internal regulations of Europe Ecology - The Greens remain unchanged, adds the party leadership in a press release.

The introduction to the referendum urged people to say "yes to the end of motions, as machines for manufacturing opacity and militant demobilization. Yes to more transparent and more readable operations".

The "yes" was supported by Marine Tondelier, who should seek the head of the party at the congress scheduled for the moment in December, and by many elected officials.

"The complexity of our statutes excludes them, they must be simplified", explains the municipal councilor of Hénin-Beaumont to AFP.

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The opaque debates and internal struggles are well known in the political world, and are a regular subject of teasing.

But the 66% mark, with blank ballots counted, was too high for a controversial proposal.

Indeed, some denounced a danger for pluralism among ecologists, sacred for many historical activists.

"The referendum is turning the movement upside down, it's a hastily initiated procedure by friends of Marine Tondelier and it's generating significant tension," says left wing member Alain Coulombel.

He contributes to the preparation of a second referendum which proposes to shift the congress to March or April so that EELV takes its time on the reforms.

According to him, there was "the risk of an increasingly homogeneous, one-color party, led by a small oligarchy", in short "it will look like La France insoumise".

Alain Coulombel remarks: "For the start of the school year, we could have worked on something other than what creates tensions".

Procrastination

EELV is indeed shaken by accusations of moral harassment against national secretary Julien Bayou by an ex-companion.

The testimony in a Monday program of MP Sandrine Rousseau, who met this ex-companion, led the environmental group in the National Assembly to suspend Julien Bayou from his co-presidency.

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An unwelcome affair: the 23 deputies were trying somehow to get out of the shadow of La France insoumise (LFI), which monopolizes media attention, strong with its 75 deputies and with a divisive tone.

A party also currently mired in the Quatennens affair.

A green MP describes to AFP a certain amateurism among the Greens: "There are some who are preparing the conquest of power, we are still recruiting our parliamentary collaborators, who must absolutely be of green culture ... All that for end up taking former socialists".

It is with this type of procrastination that Marine Tondelier wanted to break, at least for the party, as well as several elected officials, who pushed for the organization of the referendum.

The motions lead to the distribution of positions in full proportional, argues a great elected green, connoisseur of the workings of the party.

They are thus according to him "a bonus to the division because it was better to make two lists at 6% than one list at 12%", he underlines.

And at the executive office, "until now, there were difficulties all the time, we spent our time discussing details to make a decision".

This source says that "originally, our party was built to counter-power, but today our responsibility is to govern".

© 2022 AFP