It is a new acronym in French political life: the Nupes, for New Popular Ecological and Social Union, was born in early May, to embody the union of the left desired by several parties after the presidential election. This alliance, made up of four main formationshas a clear goal: to win as many constituencies as possible in the legislative elections of June 12 and 19, and thus impose the appointment of Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister.
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During this campaign, the Nupes will however have to deal with the revolt of certain members of the Socialist Party, who see it as an alliance subservient to Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his movement. Franceinfo takes stock of this unprecedented union.
Nupes, what is it?
The New People’s Ecological and Social Union takes over from the People’s Union, the structure responsible for defending Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s candidacy for the presidential election. This banner is the result of a political agreement between several parties in view of the legislative elections.
It was born on Monday May 2, when La France insoumise (LFI) concluded a bilateral agreement with Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV). In the days that followed, agreements of the same type were signed with the other leftist formations. The Nupes has planned to invest, Saturday, May 8, 577 candidates, one in each electoral district.
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Who are the parties that make it up?
La Nupes is composed, first of all, of La France insoumise, which is at its origin. With 22% of the votes cast by its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first round of the presidential election, LFI has reserved 330 of the 577 nominations for the legislative elections. The “rebellious”, who currently have a group of 17 deputies, seek to increase their presence at the Palais-Bourbon.
Under the terms of this agreement, the environmentalist pole, mainly composed of EELV, will be able to present candidates in 100 constituencies, while it had no elected in 2017. The Socialist Party, whose parliamentary group was composed of 28 deputies , gets 70 constituencies. Finally, the French Communist Party, which had 15 deputies, will be able to compete under the Nupes banner in 50 constituencies.
Is it a new party replacing the old ones?
No, it is not a new party that was born from this political agreement. Moreover, the candidates who would be elected under this banner would join the group of their choice in the National Assembly in June. “Everyone will have their own funding association”, also assured Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who oversaw the marathon negotiations.
To put it simply, each party retains its independence, but can join a parliamentary coalition in the National Assembly if it wishes.
Why does the union of the left intervene now and not before ?
Because presidential elections and legislative elections are not the same type of election. During a presidential election, the main parties, especially on the left, traditionally strive to present a candidate to avoid seeing their political current ousted from the democratic debate.
This is the choice that was made by the ecologists, the socialists or even the communists during the last presidential election, despite the risk of a dispersion of votes and an elimination before the second round. And the fears proved true: on April 10, despite the very low scores achieved by Yannick Jadot (4.6%), Fabien Roussel (2.3%) and Anne Hidalgo (1.7%), the 22% of Jean -Luc Mélenchon did not allow him to reach the final.
The voting system for the legislative elections, which consists of 577 ballots in as many constituencies on the territory, is more favorable to the conclusion of alliances. In an attempt to save their seats in the National Assembly, or even win new ones, the leaderships of the three parties in difficulty therefore decided to unite with La France Insoumise, which had become the driving force on the left. Initially, the objective will be to pass the bar of 12.5% of registered voters in a maximum of constituencies, synonymous with qualification for the second round.
What do the left parties defend in their common program ?
In each of the bilateral agreements, there are minor variations on the essential elements that the different Nupes parties stand for. If there are compromises in the formulations and in certain proposals, these agreements are largely inspired by L’Avenir en commun, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s program for the 2017 presidential election, which was updated in 2022. It includes, among its most important points, retirement at 60, price freezes, the Sixth Republic or ecological planning, all elements to which the other parties have therefore agreed to subscribe.
Insubordinate France and the PS, antagonists during the presidential election, have also found a compromise on Europe. On the subject of “disobedience” to certain community rules, a bone of contention between the two formations, the agreement is worded as follows: “Because of our stories, we talk about disobeying for some, of derogating temporarily for others, but we are aiming for the same objective”, to know “put an end to the liberal and productivist course of the European Union”.
Does the whole of the PS approve of this alliance ?
Not far from here. Wednesday, May 4, as soon as the announcement of the choice of the Socialist Party to join the Nupes, several historical executives of the party publicly expressed their disagreement. This is the case of former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who immediately decided to leave the PS, stressing in a vitriolic message posted on social networks that “Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party relentlessly fought the Socialist Party, when it governed as when it no longer governed.
Other tenors of the party have not yet officially announced their departure, but they are also very critical. This is the case of former President François Hollande. “I reject the agreement on the substance and even on the constituencies”, he told The mountain, the day before the validation of the agreement by 62% of the voters gathered in the National Council.
His ex-ministers Stéphane Le Foll and Hélène Geoffroy, who embody the minority movement of the party against the leadership of Olivier Faure, are also upwind. Just like the former first secretary of the PS Jean-Christophe Cambadélis and certain presidents of departments and regions, like Carole Delga. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, blasted a disrespectful deal “people” and which does not bear the guarantees “on subjects as essential as NATO, European defense and secularism”while claiming that she “does not wish to prevent” This agreement.
Can there be dissenting candidacies ?
A dissenting line began to take shape within the Socialist Party. It is notably carried by Carole Delga, the PS president of the Occitanie region, who wishes to support six socialist candidates on her territory, even in the face of LFI, environmentalist or communist candidates. A protest movement also supported by Michaël Delafosse, the PS mayor of Montpellier, who accuses LFI of “mania[r] excess and constant invective”.
The 15th district of Paris also risks being the symbol of the anti-Nupes sling. Outgoing PS MP Lamia El Aaraje, who lost her mandate in early 2022 after the cancellation of election by the Constitutional Council, has not said its last word. While in the agreement with La France insoumise, this constituency was reserved for Danielle Simonnet, national speaker for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party, the former socialist parliamentarian has not yet indicated whether she counts whether or not to maintain a dissenting candidacy.
Those close to François Hollande could also make their voices heard. If the creation of a political movement in opposition to the Nupes is not on the agenda for the moment, the mayor of Le Mans and former Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Le Foll said he was ready, Wednesday on France 2, to “lead the campaign“for the legislative elections of the dissidents of the PS.