While François Ruffin could have been the embodiment of a union of the left outside the fold of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, his supporters have changed strategy to best get through the early legislative elections.
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His name was on everyone’s lips before the dissolution: François Ruffin. He is also at the origin of the expression “New Popular Front” and was even considered as a possible Prime Minister. To explain his brutal decline, we must rewind.
Back to Sunday, June 9 before 9 p.m., before the announcement of the dissolution. François Ruffin is at home in Amiens to find out the results of the European elections. He is fidgeting, according to one of his close friends, ready to show off what’s next for the left. An alliance of unionists has been in the works for weeks between socialist, environmentalist, communist figures and Insoumis rebels, around the deputy of the Somme. The team even plans to meet journalists the following week and to deploy within two weeks. They are therefore very close to finally cutting the cord with Jean-Luc Mélenchon. But everything stops on the night of Sunday to Monday, the night of the earthquake of the dissolution.
It’s like a stock market crash, panic in a left in pieces. Everyone is stunned. The leaders only think of one thing: saving their place, their weight, their skin in the Assembly. Notably the environmentalist Marine Tondelier, whose party has just collapsed in the European elections. Under pressure, she ends up knocking on LFI’s door the same night to reopen the dialogue. The socialists follow her.
It is now necessary to spare Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s close friends who are on bad terms with François Ruffin, regardless of the ties developed with him in recent months. The discussions, the text messages, the dinners… Here he is, sidelined, even though he has just launched the “Front populaire” brand.
A participant in the negotiations quickly supports the idea of the slogan. “François Ruffin, Prime Minister”sensing, before the start of the campaign, the danger that Jean-Luc Mélenchon would come and disrupt it. “Propelling Ruffin would solve everythingaccording to him. It would involve the communists, the environmentalists would create chaos at LFI”A socialist even enjoys imagining the reaction that the Insoumis leader would have had.
According to our information, François Ruffin himself would have liked to be a candidate for the post of Prime Minister. In his entourage, we are convinced that he could have created a dynamic, gone and stolen votes from the extreme right. But in the end nothing. Some even hold it against him. “Power is taken”supports a heavyweight socialist. “He had ten chances to announce that he was prime minister”adds another. “He could have won the match”.