Jean-Luc Mélenchon loves historical nods. So, on January 23, during his speech to close the first hearing of the Parliament of the People’s Union (PUP, a structure bringing together the support for his candidacy for the Elysée, from partner political movements and civil society), he can’t help but make a small digression which amuses the gathered militants. “There is for me a kind of situational humor (…) I was, a needless number of years ago, sitting at the back of this room in the organization to which I belonged at the time, which was the ancestor of the POIs [Parti ouvrier indépendant] who welcomes us today. »
Mr. Mélenchon alludes to the Internationalist Communist Organization, the OCI, a historical formation Lambertist Trotskyism (from the pseudonym of its founder and leader Pierre Lambert), the Orthodox wing of this political family, practicing entryism and with multiple persuasions. The Independent Workers’ Party (POI) is today one of its heirs, with the Democratic Independent Workers’ Party (POID), a separation resulting from a split in 2015. But, above all, the POI is a historic partner of Mélenchonism. Its members have supported La France insoumise (LFI) since the beginning of its history in 2017 and are part of the New People’s Ecological and Social Union (Nupes) for the legislative elections, unlike the other Trotskyists of the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA).
This companionship is not surprising: Jean-Luc Mélenchon (who did not respond to our requests) and Alexis Corbière, one of his closest lieutenants, are former Lambertists. A political heritage that they have never hidden. Certain fundamentals of Melenchonism are also shared with Lambertism, such as the fight against the institutions of the Ve Republic, a certain euroscepticism and, more broadly, the highlighting of the republican and secular identity of the French labor movement, or even the permanent reference to the “great revolution” from 1789.
This common path appears in broad daylight for the legislative elections of 12 and 19 June. Very small political organization but very established in Force Ouvrière, the POI sees one of its leaders, Jérôme Legavre (contacted, he did not respond to our requests), invested in the 12e constituency of Seine-Saint-Denis, originally planned for Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV). Officially, he is the only member of the POI invested in this capacity. But at least three other activists are also candidates, as holders or substitutes, both in the Pays de Retz and in the Var or the Yvelines.
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