the party of Nicolas Dupont-Aignan will present a list, Jean-Luc Mélenchon still calls for a common list on the left

Now less than a year from the deadline, all the French political parties are working on the next elections in sight: the European elections of 2024. The former sovereignist presidential candidate Nicolas Dupont-Aignan thus announced on Sunday June 18 that his party, Debout La France, would present a list during the ballot, which will be held from June 6 to 9, 2024.

The leader of La France insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, reiterated his wish to see the Nupes alliance extend from the benches of the National embly to those of the European Parliament, by founding a common list on the left in 2024.

Solo race for Debout La France

The former argued that he would present, as since 2009, “a sovereignist, Gaullist list, for the independence of the country”in the political program from Europe 1, The echoes and CNews.

The decision was taken on Saturday in the National Council, explained Mr. Dupont-Aignan, who specified that his party’s project for the European elections will be presented on September 30. In 2019, the party list obtained only 3.51% of the votes cast, failing to reach the 5% threshold necessary to have elected members of the European Parliament.

This time, the deputy of Essonne ured that he would not lead it ” not necessarily “ arguing that he “would like[t] let it be another personality” and specifying that Florian Philippot, president of the Patriots, could participate, as well as the philosopher Michel Onfray.

According to him, “there is no one today who goes to the cause of the problem and says that if we do not manage to solve the problems of security, immigration, unemployment, purchasing power, ecology, it is because France has lost all independence and freedom of action..

“The RN [Remblement national] don’t say it anymore”said the one who had rallied to Mme Le Pen in the second round of the 2017 presidential election, but not in 2022. “If we want to restore security and control immigration, we must restore border posts”said Nicolas Dupont-Aignan again, going so far as to add that “If we no longer want to have our throats cut in our country, we have to react, we need borders”.

Unsurprisingly attacking the European Union (EU), the sovereigntist also virulently targeted Emmanuel Macron, saying he had ” nausea “ in front of “this man who sells France off, who allows France to be plundered by oligarchs, who submits to a supranational European authority, who has abandoned an independent foreign policy, who has ridiculed France abroad”.

On the left, pressure from the “rebellious”

On the left, time is still at the work of conviction to try to leave united in the countryside. LFI is actively trying to convince its Nupes partners at the Palais-Bourbon to make a common list also during the European 2024. This despite significant differences of opinion existing between them on the EU, and the dismissal already opposed by Europe -Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) and the French Communist Party (PCF).

“I adjure my comrades of the Nupes”however launched again on BFM TV Sunday Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the “rebellious”: “We were able to sign [le programme de la Nupes en mai 2022], that is to say six hundred common proposals including almost ten pages on Europe, so it is not true that we are divergent. » “We are not each here to cook our little soup on our little fire”, he added.

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The fact remains that several left-wing leaders do not hear it that way, despite the strategy of pressure from Mr. Mélenchon and the “rebellious” elected officials at work for several weeks now.

“Very clearly, we will have an environmentalist list for the Europeans”thus repeated at the beginning of June on France 2 Marine Tondelier, who had carried the promise of an autonomous ecological list for the Europeans during his election as national secretary of EELV, in December 2022.

During his party’s congress at the beginning of April, the national secretary of the PCF, Fabien Roussel, affirmed his wish to defend the ideas of his camp. “in all elections”. “We will participate in this election and will defend our vision of European construction, breaking with the existing treaties”did he declare.

In the Socialist Party (PS), the question divides within the ranks, already disunited and polarized between supporters and opponents of Nupes. The general secretary of the party, Pierre Jouvet, who is in the first camp alongside the first secretary of the party, Olivier Faure, announced on April 23 that the PS would propose a ” debate “ in the autumn between the various left-wing parties on the European elections, in order to work on a potential “ gathering “.

Le Monde with AFP and Reuters