Left-wing parties join forces in bid to take on Macron’s party
France’s Socialist Party enters coalition deal with the hard-Left La France Insoumise
06 May 2022 - 10:00
byCamille Raynaud and Sudip Kar-Gupta
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Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of far-left opposition La France Insoumise political party and candidate for the 2022 French presidential election, gestures as he speaks during a news conference in Strasbourg, France, on January 18 2022. Picture: REUTERS/GONZALO FUENTES
Paris — France’s Socialist Party on Friday sealed a coalition deal with the hard-Left La France Insoumise (LFI) party to run together in June’s parliamentary elections to try to deprive newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron of a majority.
“From now on, we are going to campaign together,” said Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure.
The coalition pact, which the French Greens and Communists approved earlier this week, will be the first time the broader Left wing of French politics has united in 20 years, but with the Eurosceptic LFI in the driving seat this time around.
Parties on both the Left and Right wings of France’s political spectrum are eyeing alliances to try to beat Macron’s party — which has been renamed Renaissance — in the June 12 and June 19 votes for the lower house of France’s parliament.
Macron won a second presidential mandate last month, but he will need a majority in parliament if he is to push through policies including raising the retirement age to 65 from 62, opposed by both the Left and Right.
The Left-wing bloc’s alliance has taken shape under the leadership of LFI’s firebrand chief Jean-Luc Melenchon, who narrowly missed out on making it to the final round of the French presidential election run-off vote last month.
Melenchon came third with about 22% of votes in the first round of the election, just behind far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. The Socialists’ presidential candidate, Anne Hidalgo, claimed about 1.7% of the votes.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Left-wing parties join forces in bid to take on Macron’s party
France’s Socialist Party enters coalition deal with the hard-Left La France Insoumise
Paris — France’s Socialist Party on Friday sealed a coalition deal with the hard-Left La France Insoumise (LFI) party to run together in June’s parliamentary elections to try to deprive newly re-elected President Emmanuel Macron of a majority.
“From now on, we are going to campaign together,” said Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure.
The coalition pact, which the French Greens and Communists approved earlier this week, will be the first time the broader Left wing of French politics has united in 20 years, but with the Eurosceptic LFI in the driving seat this time around.
Parties on both the Left and Right wings of France’s political spectrum are eyeing alliances to try to beat Macron’s party — which has been renamed Renaissance — in the June 12 and June 19 votes for the lower house of France’s parliament.
Macron won a second presidential mandate last month, but he will need a majority in parliament if he is to push through policies including raising the retirement age to 65 from 62, opposed by both the Left and Right.
The Left-wing bloc’s alliance has taken shape under the leadership of LFI’s firebrand chief Jean-Luc Melenchon, who narrowly missed out on making it to the final round of the French presidential election run-off vote last month.
Melenchon came third with about 22% of votes in the first round of the election, just behind far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. The Socialists’ presidential candidate, Anne Hidalgo, claimed about 1.7% of the votes.
Reuters
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