“It is very likely that, on Sunday evening, the situation will be more complex than it was at the start” on the left, analysis Thursday January 27 on franceinfo Rémi Lefebvre, political scientist, professor of political science at the University of Lille 2 and researcher at the Center for Administrative, Political and Social Studies and Research (Ceraps), about the Popular Primary .
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Voting popular initiative to designate a common candidate left, for the 2022 presidential, opened Thursday morning on the platform and must deliver the results on Sunday. According to the political scientist, the popular primary “comes to collectively weaken the left” his need to come together to prevail, however, he recognizes that “It’s a completely new approach.” “We never saw citizens stand up against political parties”, Continued Rémi Lefebvre.
FranceInfo: Does this primary have not become a trap for the left?
Remi Lefebvre: It is a showdown that has been initiated. We have on one side a citizens’ initiative, funded largely by donations, supported by highly organized people, very effective and mobilizing new technologies. On the other, we have a party system, extremely divided and, as prospects are left hopeless, appear illegitimate. This reinforces the legitimacy of the process of the People’s Primary. The problem is that this primary comes very, very late and does not generate consensus. In a climate already marked by enormous confusion, this primary comes to collectively weaken the left since the objective was the rally and it is very likely that Sunday evening, the situation will be more complex than it was at the start. .
Is the approach of the organizers of the popular primary really disinterested?
They have very clear objectives, they try to twist the arm of the parties. Are they running for a candidate? The organizers come from the world of ecology. They apparently have a certain closeness to Christiane Taubira, many militants of the Popular Primary are close to Christiane Taubira, identify with her. However, I do not have specific information on possible economic interests but there is a climate complotiste around this popular primer that should be put away. We are in a situation where the campaign has started. Things are heating up on social networks on these issues. But this is a completely new approach. We have never seen citizens rise up against political parties. So popular Primary clashes with the interests of devices and candidates engaged in their campaign.
Are there a fear that the traditional parties rushed?
We are in a situation where the parties are too weak to not be achieved by this approach and at the same time too strong and too rooted to yield to it. We are in a situation of very strong tension between parties with fewer and fewer activists, who are professionalized, who defend short-term electoral interests which are not necessarily the interests of the voters. And on the other side, citizens who are trying to organize themselves but who are not very powerful either. It’s an approach some stammering and the question of the legitimacy of the people who will vote in popular primary also arises. Who are they ? What rights do they have to define a candidate? All this arises from the point of view of democratic legitimacy.
What is likely to happen Sunday evening at the time of the results?
There will be a conflict of numbers, a quantitative legitimacy of conflict, but it is clear that more than 400 000 members in the People’s Primary, is a lot. This is much more than all members of leftist political parties and even of all left parties met in France. There was a real citizen dynamics, there is a real appetite, so political parties can not consider all this as nothing. It will be complicated but everything will depend on the results, we may have some surprises. People who have registered on the platform, these days, are not voters of the traditional parties who, seeing that the Primary popular up, want to register? The rebellious France disapproves of the process but it is likely that many rebellious registered on the platform and will vote for Mélenchon. It will be very interesting to see what will give results.