Will Nupes survive the European elections? In an interview with 20 Minutes on Sunday, Jean-Luc Mélenchon spoke of the “possible” end of the alliance between La France insoumise (LFI), the Socialist Party (PS), Europe-Écologie-Les-Verts (EELV) and the French Communist Party (PCF) in the event of lists in dispersed order on the starting line of the 2024 European elections. “The Nupes is in danger if it is not even an electoral agreement anymore”, launched the rebellious ex-candidate in the presidential election. “If there is no union in the Europeans, there will not be any in the municipal elections either. Why would there be a presidential one? “asked the former leader of La France insoumise.
Left-wing parties differ on the strategy to adopt for the election of MEPs. The national secretary of EELV, Marine Tondelier, has several times expressed her wish for an independent green list, rather than a Nupes list, believing that the left would send more deputies to the European Parliament. According to a Cluster 17 poll for Le Point, the united left would come out on top with 27% of the vote, but the addition of the four separate leftist lists would exceed this result (35%). On the side of the Communists, Fabien Roussel affirmed that they “will participate” in these elections and will defend there their “vision of European construction”. Unlike the heads of EELV and the PCF, Olivier Faure says he wants to discuss the possibility of a common list.
“Nothing justifies killing hope,” tweeted the first secretary of the PS on Monday, in reaction to the “possible” end of the Nupes mentioned by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “La Nupes belongs to the millions of French men and women who want the left and environmentalists to come together,” said the PS boss, calling on it to “grow and expand”. “Too long has the division served the right. Tomorrow she could serve the far right,” he added. “Happy to find Olivier Faure in agreement with me for a common Nupes list for the Europeans”, Jean-Luc Mélenchon hastened to answer him, who is not without knowing that the PS first called for a “debate in the fall between left-wing parties.
The environmental deputy Julien Bayou also plays down. “If there are four lists, it will not necessarily be the drama that we are promised,” says Point the former national secretary of EELV. “The polarization on the subject is perfectly excessive,” he insists, without directly naming Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “We will have to find the means to ensure a” benevolent “campaign to prepare the next deadlines that we can tackle together and I will work on it”, assures Julien Bayou. “I think that a union like that requires a little delicacy in the way of doing things,” criticizes Sandrine Rousseau for her part. “In this case, the delicacy was nowhere,” says MP EELV, who says she is ready to “discuss” all the options.
