One year before the European elections, the Nupes is advancing more than ever divided. According to our information, the Communists are preparing to formalize their head of the list in the person of Léon Deffontaines, further removing the idea of a single candidacy on the left. Jean-Rémi Baudot’s political brief.
Despite pressure from La France insoumise, the French Communist Party plans to have its own list in the European elections of 2024, learned this Wednesday franceinfo from the PCF. The party will present its young spokesperson Léon Deffontaines at the top of the list, once his induction has been voted on at the National Communist Council on July 1.
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Officially, for the moment, he will only be a “leader”: Léon Deffontaines, 27, until now spokesperson for the PCF and leader of the young communists, has a profile for the time being still a little in the shadow of Fabien Roussel. But it is he who is marked to lead the PCF list in the next European.
A list further to the left which further distances the hypothesis of an alliance for Nupes, because this hypothesis of a list common to European women is only pushed by France Insoumise, which has been pressing for months: Jean- Luc Melenchon and his relatives repeat that if the Nupes is divided to the Europeans, it will be for the municipal and ultimately in the presidential election… And that would therefore signify the death of this left-wing agreement.
An independent PCF candidacy, for lack of agreement on the substance with Nupes
However, there is nothing that does not frighten environmentalists, who insist that they will go alone. The Communists are therefore preparing to formalize their independence, too. On the side of the Socialists, the executives are divided. In reality, Europe is one of the subjects that tears the Nupes apart the most. The different visions of Europe were also recorded in the common program in June 2022 and, behind the scenes, no one really believes that the left-wing parties will come together at the Europeans.
Basically, boosted by the popularity of Fabien Roussel, the Communists hope to return to the game during the Europeans with a keyword: “sovereignty”. Popular sovereignty with the idea that it is up to the people to take Europe back in hand and industrial sovereignty with more cooperation at the regional level.
The communists do not want to leave the EU or the treaties, but they want new treaties to modify the rules, for example on public orders. Implicitly, the entourage of Fabien Roussel draws what it is not: neither federalist like the ecologists, nor social sum the socialists. And not ready to disobey, like the Insoumis, real point of tension on the left.
Objective for the PCF: exceed 5%
A list for the PCF to the Europeans, but for what result? It is recalled that to have MEPs, it is necessary to make more than 5%. In 2019, the list led by the Parisian Ian Brossat had made 2.5%. Today, there are therefore no longer any elected Communists in Brussels. The challenge in 2024 will therefore be to mobilize voters and possibly abstainers. Fabien Roussel will not be able to be on the posters, but a banner “With Fabien Roussel” could adorn the campaign leaflets.
And behind the scenes, the negotiations began. The entourage of Léon Deffontaines even hopes to recruit outgoing MEPs like Emmanuel Maurel, today under the LFI banner. On the left, for the Europeans, the big maneuvers have begun, but clearly, the Nupes is not part of the discussions.