A political object not identified in the legislative elections, the New People’s Ecological and Social Union (Nupes) is seeking its parliamentary path. A few days after the second round, which saw him bring more than 130 deputies into the National Assembly, the alliance of left-wing parties is trying to structure itself under the gold of the Palais-Bourbon.
Relationship between the different parliamentary groups, candidacies for the main positions in the National Assembly, voting on the first legislative texts… The articulation of these various forces in the lower house is by no means obvious, even if the representatives of the “rebellious “, socialists, communists and ecologists show their unity in a disrupted parliamentary landscape.
This great political mechanic, however, began with a hiccup on Monday, when Jean-Luc Mélenchon proposed to his left-wing allies to form a single common group in the Assembly, an idea immediately swept away by the three other components of the Nudes. “There is already an intergroup planned”retorted in chorus the executives of EELV, the PS and the PCF.
This famous structure was precisely born on Thursday afternoon, during a meeting of an hour and a half, which was attended by 16 representatives of the four components of the coalition. “We will see each other every week”, assured journalists the communist Elsa Faucillon at the end of this first meeting. Thursday, around the table, André Chassaigne (PCF) was the only group president absent, unlike Mathilde Panot (LFI), Julien Bayou and Cyrielle Chatelain (EELV) and Boris Vallaud (PS), along with other executives from the covenant.
The #Nudes has decided to set up an intergroup in the National Assembly, announces the president of the deputies La France insoumise @MathildePanot.
> “We will see each other every week”, specifies the elected communist @ElsaFaucillon. #DirectAN CC @NUPES_2022_ pic.twitter.com/8goeKXmedV—LCP (@LCP) June 23, 2022
What are the representatives of the Nupes going to tackle, Tuesday, June 29, as well as the following weeks? According to Mathilde Panot, president of the LFI group, this intergroup is about “to work together between our four parliamentary groups”she said alongside Elsa Faucillon.
“This intergroupcontinues the ecologist Sophie Taillé-Polian, it’s going to be an opportunity to say ‘well, there are so many important subjects to bring out, we divide them up so that the parliamentary niches are complementary and not competing’. We can also organize ourselves to properly scan the subjects for the drawing rights”available to each parliamentary group, once a year, to set up a commission of inquiry.
“The intergroup is about coordination, it’s super important”
Green MP Sophie Taillé-Polianat franceinfo
In fact, the intergroup does not officially appear anywhere. “Personally, I would not be opposed to it being formal, with the means to exist”, defended with franceinfo Aurélien Taché, of the environmental group, at the beginning of the week. But unlike the “classic” parliamentary groups, this structure similar to the intergroups of the European Parliament will remain informal.
The projects of this intergroup are in any case numerous, starting with the definition of a common position on the texts that the government should present in July. On the measures in favor of purchasing power, will there be unanimity on the left against the text? “Within this coalition, we agreed on a program, with 650 measures. Of these 650 measures, there are 95% that we defend in common and 5% for which there are nuances that “we will deal with the Parliament. On the 95% of the points of the program, we are committed to vote the same thing, so we will vote the same thing”explained the deputy LFI Manuel Bompard on franceinfo, Friday June 24.
“There may be times when Nupes groups don’t quite vote the same.”
The deputy La France insoumise Manuel Bompardat franceinfo
These differences could also concern the question of a motion of censure against Elisabeth Borne, at the beginning of July. While the Prime Minister may not submit to a vote of confidence following her declaration of general policy, the deputies of La France insoumise will be “probably forced” to file a motion of censure to oppose the government, assured Manuel Bompard on franceinfo, Friday.
If E. Borne does not ask for confidence, LFI will propose a motion of no confidence? tell them ‘I’m not going to ask your opinion’” pic.twitter.com/PlSn5e7u8q
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) June 24, 2022
At the same time, Fabien Roussel, a communist deputy critical of Nupes, “don’t really understand why there is this motion of censure”, he defended on RTL on Tuesday. Other Nupes deputies, like Valérie Rabault, are cautious. “We cannot say that we are censoring the government when we do not know what it is proposing”evacuated the socialist deputy on France 2, Friday.
The PS parliamentarian also reaffirmed that she was running for the presidency of the finance committee, while the various parties of the Nupes have acted to present only one candidate for this function, namely the deputy LFI Eric Coquerel . Before a big meeting of all the deputies of this electoral alliance, Tuesday afternoon, all the violins are not (yet) granted.