After the victory of Christiane Taubira in the Popular Primary, Sunday January 30, the president of the Radical Left Party (PRG) and support of the former Minister of Justice, Guillaume Lacroix, affirms on franceinfo that “everything starts for the union of the left, to make it possible”. The former Minister of Justice, candidate for the presidential election, is ahead of Yannick Jadot and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
“There isn’t a left-wing party, there isn’t a left-wing leader, there isn’t a left-wing activist who can’t look at 400,000 voters without telling himself that what’s going on is really something.”
Guillaume Lacroix, President of the Radical Left Partyat franceinfo
Guillaume Lacroix believes, however, that the various candidates are “legitimate” to continue their campaign. “They weren’t going to cut it all off for a popular Primary they didn’t want.” But now according to him, the campaign “enters a new phase” with “citizen legitimacy which must be added to militant legitimacy, which must be added to the legitimacy of elected officials”.
For the President of the PRG, “the emergency” is not “to have a Taubira ballot on April 10 on the voting table”but rather to have “a bulletin from the left that takes you to the Elysée”. “There is always a possible coalition to build with ecologists and socialists”, defends Guillaume Lacroix.
Invited to react to the victory of Christiane Taubira, Yannick Jadot, affirmed on TF1, Sunday, that he had no “nothing” to answer. Coming second in the citizens’ initiative, the environmentalist presidential candidate believes that “It’s one more candidacy, I think it’s exactly the opposite of what the popular Primary wanted”.
The EELV deputy David Cormand, recalls on franceinfo that Yannick Jadot had refused to participate in the ballot and that his name was associated with it in spite of himself. But he recognizes that “The fact that he comes second is a good score, I’m quite happy. Afterwards, the fact that Christiane Taubira wins a primary made for her is quite natural.”
“The problem is that the purpose of this primary was to reduce the number of candidates from the left, and there is one more.”
David Cormand, EELV MEPat franceinfo
David Cormand also judges calls for “The union”, launched by Christiane Taubira, not very relevant: “The left, when it won the presidential elections, it was not particularly united. […] There is a starting postulate which is to say that the left would be weak because it is divided. However, my conviction is that the left is divided because it is weak”.
“People no longer want to vote socialist. They were disgusted with the mandate of François Hollande and they will not vote Christiane Taubira”, tackle the environmentalist.
An indifference shared by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. On France 5, Sunday evening, the candidate of rebellious France said to himself “not concerned” by the success of Christiane Taubira, despite calls from the latter to “The union” left-wing candidates.“She put on the shoe prepared for her”he adds.
“I am not concerned. I was automatically registered in an election in which I did not want to participate.”
Jean-Luc Melenchonon France 5
Christiane Taubira has announced her intention to telephone the various left-wing presidential candidates. Approach to which Jean-Luc Mélenchon responds: “I’m a bit fed up with phone calls where people take me for a ball, it ends up upsetting me”. But he does not completely close the door: “Well, I will answer everyone, let’s explain ourselves, compare”.
Anne Hidalgo, who came fifth in the Popular Primary, behind Pierre Larrouturou, does not feel committed to this result either. “It could have been a moment of gathering of the whole left, it’s one more candidacy”she judged.“It’s an indication but certainly not a decision that changes the campaign” of the PS presidential candidate, adds Mathieu Klein, campaign spokesperson for the Socialist candidate.
The mayor of Nancy recalls that Anne Hidalgo had been the first, in December, a left-wing candidate to come out in favor of the organization of a primary and “to call on everyone on the left and among ecologists, those who want to govern together, to come together, to make the citizens decide”. The mayor of Paris later changed her mind after Yannick Jadot refused to participate in the citizen initiative. According to Mathieu Klein, it would have been “a real democratic moment in which the French could have largely participated”.
The fact that Anne Hidalgo came fifth out of seven candidates has no meaning for Hélène Geoffroy, social mayorVaulx-en-Velin list and member of the PS candidate’s campaign team: “We do not know the electorate who voted. Who are those who registered? What did they base themselves on to give this note?” According to her, the popular Primary “did not allow the explanation of the programs of each other.”