During a May Day demonstration in Paris, people walk past campaign posters for the June 2022 legislative election that portray left-wing MP Jean-Luc Melenchon as prime minister.
(Photo: Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
May 05, 2022
Less than two weeks after France's neoliberal president, Emmanuel Macron, defeated the far-right's Marine Le Pen to win a second five-year term, the country's four major left parties have agreed in principle to form an electoral coalition that aims to deny Macron a parliamentary majority.
"No one on the left can win on their own."
France's center-left Socialist Party and Jean-Luc Melenchon's far-left France Unbowed reached a draft agreement on Wednesday following extensive negotiations. The French Communist Party and Greens had already agreed to join the alliance earlier this week.
"We want to elect MPs in a majority of constituencies to stop Emmanuel Macron from pursuing his unjust and brutal policies and beat the far-right," the Socialist Party and France Unbowed said in a joint statement, according toAgence France-Presse.
The pact was spearheaded by Melenchon, who finished just behind Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential election and therefore missed out on a chance to challenge the incumbent one-on-one.
If the deal is confirmed--it still needs to be approved by the Socialists' national committee on Thursday--all four parties "will campaign under a common program and run one joint candidate in the election for the National Assembly on June 9 and 12," Politicoreported. "The agreement would reportedly allow a Socialist candidate to run unopposed in 70 constituencies."
BBC News underscored the potential significance of the coalition: "Instead of running against each other in the parliamentary elections, Socialists, Greens, Communists, and supporters of France Unbowed will share one candidate per constituency, thus greatly increasing their chances."
\u201cHuge news in France, that just two weeks ago seemed unthinkable: the four major left and center-left parties have struck a left-wide coalition deal, the first of its kind in decades, that gives them a shot to wrestle power from Macron in the June parliamentary elections.\u201d— Taniel (@Taniel) 1651696377
"After Macron's win, Melenchon immediately called on voters to 'elect him prime minister' and hand the left a National Assembly majority," AFP reported. "A united left ahead of the parliamentary poll is 'an unprecedented and important event,' political historian Gilles Candar told AFP--although he added that it remains to be seen whether it can secure power or remain coherent."
If the left-wing coalition succeeds in winning a parliamentary majority and Melenchon becomes prime minister, it could systematically block Macron's pro-corporate agenda.
Macron, a former investment banker, has reduced the corporate tax rate and is currently pushing an unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65. In addition to exacerbating economic inequality and insecurity, Macron's pursuit of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policies has legitimized Le Pen's far-right ideas, progressive critics say.
If Melenchon's proposed alliance is finalized, it would constitute "the first formal coalition for the French left since the Socialist-Green pact two decades ago," Politico noted. "If the deal goes ahead, the parties will campaign on policies including raising the minimum wage, capping prices on essential products, and lowering the retirement age to 60."
Pierre Jouvet, a negotiator for the Socialist Party, told reporters: "I believe that today we are a few hours away from a historic moment, a historic moment that has been awaited for years by the people of the left who have been ardently asking us to find a way to come together."
"No one on the left can win on their own," Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel toldFrance Inter radio, adding that the coalition needs to harness "the immense hope among the French public, among workers, among young people who are asking us to unite."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Less than two weeks after France's neoliberal president, Emmanuel Macron, defeated the far-right's Marine Le Pen to win a second five-year term, the country's four major left parties have agreed in principle to form an electoral coalition that aims to deny Macron a parliamentary majority.
"No one on the left can win on their own."
France's center-left Socialist Party and Jean-Luc Melenchon's far-left France Unbowed reached a draft agreement on Wednesday following extensive negotiations. The French Communist Party and Greens had already agreed to join the alliance earlier this week.
"We want to elect MPs in a majority of constituencies to stop Emmanuel Macron from pursuing his unjust and brutal policies and beat the far-right," the Socialist Party and France Unbowed said in a joint statement, according toAgence France-Presse.
The pact was spearheaded by Melenchon, who finished just behind Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential election and therefore missed out on a chance to challenge the incumbent one-on-one.
If the deal is confirmed--it still needs to be approved by the Socialists' national committee on Thursday--all four parties "will campaign under a common program and run one joint candidate in the election for the National Assembly on June 9 and 12," Politicoreported. "The agreement would reportedly allow a Socialist candidate to run unopposed in 70 constituencies."
BBC News underscored the potential significance of the coalition: "Instead of running against each other in the parliamentary elections, Socialists, Greens, Communists, and supporters of France Unbowed will share one candidate per constituency, thus greatly increasing their chances."
\u201cHuge news in France, that just two weeks ago seemed unthinkable: the four major left and center-left parties have struck a left-wide coalition deal, the first of its kind in decades, that gives them a shot to wrestle power from Macron in the June parliamentary elections.\u201d— Taniel (@Taniel) 1651696377
"After Macron's win, Melenchon immediately called on voters to 'elect him prime minister' and hand the left a National Assembly majority," AFP reported. "A united left ahead of the parliamentary poll is 'an unprecedented and important event,' political historian Gilles Candar told AFP--although he added that it remains to be seen whether it can secure power or remain coherent."
If the left-wing coalition succeeds in winning a parliamentary majority and Melenchon becomes prime minister, it could systematically block Macron's pro-corporate agenda.
Macron, a former investment banker, has reduced the corporate tax rate and is currently pushing an unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65. In addition to exacerbating economic inequality and insecurity, Macron's pursuit of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policies has legitimized Le Pen's far-right ideas, progressive critics say.
If Melenchon's proposed alliance is finalized, it would constitute "the first formal coalition for the French left since the Socialist-Green pact two decades ago," Politico noted. "If the deal goes ahead, the parties will campaign on policies including raising the minimum wage, capping prices on essential products, and lowering the retirement age to 60."
Pierre Jouvet, a negotiator for the Socialist Party, told reporters: "I believe that today we are a few hours away from a historic moment, a historic moment that has been awaited for years by the people of the left who have been ardently asking us to find a way to come together."
"No one on the left can win on their own," Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel toldFrance Inter radio, adding that the coalition needs to harness "the immense hope among the French public, among workers, among young people who are asking us to unite."
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Less than two weeks after France's neoliberal president, Emmanuel Macron, defeated the far-right's Marine Le Pen to win a second five-year term, the country's four major left parties have agreed in principle to form an electoral coalition that aims to deny Macron a parliamentary majority.
"No one on the left can win on their own."
France's center-left Socialist Party and Jean-Luc Melenchon's far-left France Unbowed reached a draft agreement on Wednesday following extensive negotiations. The French Communist Party and Greens had already agreed to join the alliance earlier this week.
"We want to elect MPs in a majority of constituencies to stop Emmanuel Macron from pursuing his unjust and brutal policies and beat the far-right," the Socialist Party and France Unbowed said in a joint statement, according toAgence France-Presse.
The pact was spearheaded by Melenchon, who finished just behind Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential election and therefore missed out on a chance to challenge the incumbent one-on-one.
If the deal is confirmed--it still needs to be approved by the Socialists' national committee on Thursday--all four parties "will campaign under a common program and run one joint candidate in the election for the National Assembly on June 9 and 12," Politicoreported. "The agreement would reportedly allow a Socialist candidate to run unopposed in 70 constituencies."
BBC News underscored the potential significance of the coalition: "Instead of running against each other in the parliamentary elections, Socialists, Greens, Communists, and supporters of France Unbowed will share one candidate per constituency, thus greatly increasing their chances."
\u201cHuge news in France, that just two weeks ago seemed unthinkable: the four major left and center-left parties have struck a left-wide coalition deal, the first of its kind in decades, that gives them a shot to wrestle power from Macron in the June parliamentary elections.\u201d— Taniel (@Taniel) 1651696377
"After Macron's win, Melenchon immediately called on voters to 'elect him prime minister' and hand the left a National Assembly majority," AFP reported. "A united left ahead of the parliamentary poll is 'an unprecedented and important event,' political historian Gilles Candar told AFP--although he added that it remains to be seen whether it can secure power or remain coherent."
If the left-wing coalition succeeds in winning a parliamentary majority and Melenchon becomes prime minister, it could systematically block Macron's pro-corporate agenda.
Macron, a former investment banker, has reduced the corporate tax rate and is currently pushing an unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65. In addition to exacerbating economic inequality and insecurity, Macron's pursuit of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policies has legitimized Le Pen's far-right ideas, progressive critics say.
If Melenchon's proposed alliance is finalized, it would constitute "the first formal coalition for the French left since the Socialist-Green pact two decades ago," Politico noted. "If the deal goes ahead, the parties will campaign on policies including raising the minimum wage, capping prices on essential products, and lowering the retirement age to 60."
Pierre Jouvet, a negotiator for the Socialist Party, told reporters: "I believe that today we are a few hours away from a historic moment, a historic moment that has been awaited for years by the people of the left who have been ardently asking us to find a way to come together."
"No one on the left can win on their own," Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel toldFrance Inter radio, adding that the coalition needs to harness "the immense hope among the French public, among workers, among young people who are asking us to unite."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.