Olivier Faure (Socialist Party, PS) next to Marine Tondelier (Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, EELV), Julien Bayou (EELV) to the right of Mathilde Panot (La France insoumise, LFI), Sandra Regol (LFI) a few chairs from Fabien Roussel (Communist Party, PCF): the first rows of the convention of the “New popular ecological and social union” (Nupes) offered an unprecedented vision, Saturday April 7, in Aubervilliers. But “there is no chance, there are only appointments”, assured Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of Nupes. After months of invective, the left-wing executives finally seemed happy to find themselves side by side after the conclusion of an agreement for the legislative elections.
Each one fit easily into a framework partly inspired by the presidential meetings of the People’s Union, in a room full of substitutes, campaign directors from all sides but also many “rebellious” activists.
Olivier Faure knew where he was stepping. He had fun on Thursday: “For the first time, we will go to a meeting where the “rebellious” are much more numerous than us. » Among the first to speak, it was to them that the first secretary of the PS spoke on stage: “The president says ‘be careful, they’re savages’. It’s sometimes true that I find you a little different from the socialists who are calmer, accustomed to institutions… but I said to myself deep down: who are the real savages? Are they those who want to think that another world is possible? I have chosen “he replied, before developing an attack in good standing against Emmanuel Macron, to applause.
The national secretary of EELV, Julien Bayou, defended, meanwhile, “a union and not a simple electoral agreement” and tried to reassure those who would doubt it because of too deep differences: “Yes, we say ‘disobey to save Europe’. (…) Disobey, yes, but not to satisfy national selfishness or to break the rule of law. »
Everyone has their own references, without too much cacophony
Everything had been done to break the image of a paper agreement concluded between four men, party leaders. In the speeches, space was made for female candidates and candidates from civil society. Thus, the most applauded intervention was undoubtedly that of Rachel Kéké, former leader of the strike of the governesses and chambermaids of the Ibis des Batignolles hotel, in Paris: “Subcontracting is mistreatment, belittlement, humiliation. We, the chambermaids and housekeepers of the Ibis Batignolles hotel, this is what we suffered, she launched. We fought this fight until victory, why not go to the Assembly, we are the essentials! It is time for our professions to be visible in the National Assembly. »
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