“Mind your own business”: the outgoing national secretary of the PCF Fabien Roussel raised his voice against LFI on Friday at the opening of his party’s congress in Marseille, assuming his statements on an “outdated” Nupes and having to expand towards the center left.

The leader of the Communists, who will be returned to his post on Monday at the end of the congress except for an earthquake, did not appreciate that the coordinator of La France insoumise, Manuel Bompard, sent a letter to the PCF militants.

The Mélenchoniste confided in it his “amazement” after Mr. Roussel criticized the left-wing coalition and reached out to former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. He called on the Communists to “clarify” their position, that is to say to hold their leader to account.

“Those who allow themselves these last hours to speak directly to the delegates to interfere in our choices, I say it clearly and in all fraternity: mind your own business”, thundered Fabien Roussel, triggering the ovation of a large part of the 697 delegates gathered at the Palais du Pharo.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon was quick to react on Twitter: “What incredible aggressiveness. It’s been going on for three years on all counts, before and since Nupes. (…) Bompard opens a debate of common interest on Nupes Why demand silence?”

The coming Saturday to the congress of Manuel Bompard, invited like the other leaders of Nupes, risks being tense.

Later in front of journalists, Fabien Roussel persisted and signed about the Nupes: “I do not want it to lock us up when we have to expand”. The deputy from the North smiled: “Every time I put forward an idea that does not fit into the nails, I get hit on it”.

The boss of the communists is in a strong position in the congress, after the plebiscite of the internal vote of January, which placed his proposal for a “common base” with 82% of the votes.

The minority nevertheless remains determined to be heard, and signed a column in the newspaper Le Monde on Friday, to say all the harm it thinks of the recent statements of their national secretary. “Fabien Roussel is causing trouble by proposing a change of alliance against all odds”, write several of the members of the national council in the text, entitled “Fabien Roussel drops the mask”.

But, swept the senator Christian Picquet at the podium, at the congress “the discussions do not relate to our participation in Nupes”. He nevertheless criticized “the hegemonic position” of LFI and a coalition which “has not made it possible to broaden the social base of the left and has shown limits in the battle for pensions”.

The challenge of the congress, says spokesperson Ian Brossat, “is above all to send a message to the country, in the midst of the battle for pensions: to transform the social majority into a political majority”.

In an Ifop poll for the newspaper L’Humanité published on Friday, 54% of those questioned consider Fabien Roussel sympathetic and 45% believe that he is modernizing the party. The PCF has also registered 1,800 memberships since January.

Signals that do not give him a discharge, agrees Fabien Roussel: “There is support for the return of the PCF’s visibility, but there is also debate and disagreements on strategic choices”.

Thus on the international scene, some prefer to support the Uyghurs rather than to visit the Chinese central power as Fabien Roussel did. On feminism, others protest against the refusal of equal pairs in the various party leaderships. On work, should we slay the “benefit left” as the national secretary did last fall?

On these subjects and others, the weekend will be punctuated by skirmishes by the delegates of the federations in the long amendment debates.

But Fabien Roussel also wants to take advantage of his domination to have internal reforms adopted, denounce his detractors. “He wants to profoundly transform the PCF to make it an effective party in the presidential election, for example with the need to close ranks around the candidate” and sanctions for those who do not, denounces Hadrien Bortot, signatory of the tribune of opponents.

07/04/2023 19:25:18 – Marseille (AFP) © 2023 AFP