Profoundly torn apart during the European election campaign, France's left has, in the space of a few days, re-united in an attempt to block the far right. This rallying is equal to the pending danger. Never before in the history of the Fifth Republic has Marine Le Pen's party been so close to coming to power. The Rassemblement National (RN), the clear winner of the June 9 elections, is in a position to win a relative or even absolute majority in the Assemblée Nationale after the French go to the ballot box on July 7, at the risk of plunging the country into chaos.
Even though the RN's president, Jordan Bardella, tries to soften his party's image, its political manifesto remains based on national preference, the rejection of foreigners and the relativization of alterity. Unpopular, shrunken and unable to forge alliances, the presidential majority no longer seems in a position to counter its rise.
An agreement between France's left-wing parties was reached on Thursday, June 13, under the banner of the Nouveau Front Populaire. It includes La France Insoumise (LFI), the Parti Socialiste (PS), the Greens (Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, EELV) and the Communist Party. The union hopes to maximize the left's chances of winning seats in Parliament by putting forward a single candidate as soon as the first round. Former Socialist President François Hollande and MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, who led the Socialists' list for the European election campaign with the hopes of moving the left away from LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon's reputation, have also validated the union, forgoing any legitimate reservations they may have had. Their doubts were rekindled on Friday evening after Mélenchon's main opponents within the party were blocked from nominations.
The policies that come with this alliance are intended to be radical. Their union represents a "total break" with Emmanuel Macron's policies and vows to repeal three reforms opposed by the left: Pensions, unemployment insurance and immigration law. This renders any scenario of an alliance with the current majority impossible.
Mélenchon's hold
By acknowledging the death of Macronism, the united left is engaging in a direct confrontation with the RN, on both moral and social issues. The measures in its program reflect a clear distancing from the European Stability and Growth Pact. The left-wing alliance also hopes to smooth out the left's existential differences on the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war and the future of Europe, which, until a few weeks ago, were divisive issues for LFI and the Socialists.
By finding a path toward unity, the left remains faithful to its history. The explicit reference to the Front Populaire, when the left first united in 1936, and the 1981 break with the past, when it came to power for the first time in decades, is intended to mobilize the maximum number of people, supported by workers' unions and associations. However, the context in which the fight is being waged forbids any lyricism. Mélenchon continues to worry not only the moderate electorate, but also his allies.
Strongly contested in recent months, his hold on LFI and, by extension, on the rest of the alliance, is strong. Those close to Mélenchon have taken advantage of the nominations to reinforce those that hold the party together, and punish those who challenge Mélenchon, like Alexis Corbière, Raquel Garrido and Danièle Simonnet – all three were prevented from being candidates in their constituencies. This has created dissidence from the outset. The move, condemned by Mélenchon's partners, is yet another sign of the authoritarian and sectarian practices that prevail within LFI. This settling of scores was the worst possible message to send at the dawn of this new union.