Political parties representing the French left-wing say they have reached an agreement to form a "Popular Front" to contest the snap parliamentary election at the end of the month.
The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), Socialist, Communist and Green parties said in a joint statement on Thursday that they had agreed on a plan for how to form a government under the name of the "New Popular Front".
"We have succeeded. A page of history is being written," Socialist leader Olivier Faure said on X.
The alliance will present single candidates in each of France's 577 constituencies.
While it has yet to publish its full manifesto, it plans to lower the retirement age and introduce a new wealth tax.
Nous avons réussi. Une page de l’Histoire de France s’écrit avec le #NouveauFrontPopulaire ! pic.twitter.com/Iqvzm6IfvR
— Olivier Faure (@faureolivier) June 13, 2024
This united left-wing "Popular Front" is set to go head-to-head against the far-right's National Rally (RN) – currently leading the polls for the parliamentary vote – while President Emmanuel Macron's camp is currently struggling to make headway against those two blocs.
"We now start our campaign – with the aim of winning!" said senior LFI lawmaker François Ruffin on X.
Raphaël Glucksmann, a French MEP and leading member of the Socialist Party, on Friday said he supported the new leftwing union.
Glucksmann, whose party came a distant third place in the European Parliament elections last week, told France Inter radio “the only thing that matters to me is that the National Rally don’t win and won’t govern. That’s what’s important, and the only way to do that is a leftist union, it’s our historic responsibility,” he said.
There had been deep divisions between Glucksmann and some LFI members over what stance the union would take on Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“It's been hard, but what we've obtained is a very clear commitment on support for Ukraine (...), on support for European construction, that the attacks of 7 October be described as clearly terrorist," he said.
'Agreement of shame'
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal denounced the alliance.
"I am sorry to see that the Socialist Party, of which I was a member, is making an agreement of shame" with LFI", he told journalists on Thursday.
The government has slammed as antisemitic some LFI heavyweights' refusal to call the 7 October assault on Israel a "terrorist" attack.
"The fact that there can be 'debates' on the characterisation of the attack committed by the Hamas terrorist group on 7 October must be a wake-up call", Attal wrote on X.
Former Socialist president François Hollande gave his support to the union.
"It's up to the left to do its duty. Its duty is to unite... to be able to bring together all the political families of the left who have differences ... but who are showing responsibility", he said in a TV interview on Thursday evening.
The alliance still has to decide on who will lead the group and become prime minister if it comes out on top. LFI's three-time presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélénchon and François Ruffin have thrown their hats in the ring.
Glucksmann said the controversial Mélenchon “will not be Prime Minister. It will be someone who has consensus".
Macron called for the snap election, to be held in two rounds on 30 June and 7 July, after his centrist alliance was trounced by the RN in last Sunday's European Elections.
(with newswires)
