Never two without three. After 2012 and 2017, Jean-Luc Mélenchon is once again running for president. Guest of the Elysée 2022 program on France 2, Thursday February 10, he hopes to trigger the same dynamic as five years ago with the hope of doing better than his fourth place and his 19.58%.
To reach the second round this time, the candidate – who swapped the label of La France insoumise for that of “Popular Union” — relies on its fundamentals: a program resolutely anchored on the left, innovative communication and a strategy for mobilizing abstainers. But the deputy also knows that he will have to surprise and create the event to glimpse the second round of the ballot.
Thirty additional program pages
Presented once again under the title “L’Avenir en commun” as in 2017 (pdf link), Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s program is divided into five main parts and 14 chapters which detail the main proposals made for several years by La France insoumise. The totems of ecological planning, the transition to a Sixth Republic, the exit from NATO or the fight against inequalities remain at the heart of the program.
“But compared to 2017, the program has been clarified, in particular because it is based on five years of work in the Assembly, with the experience of all the bills and amendments tabled. So we have moved forward on the costing, on the detail”welcomes Manuel Bompard, campaign director for Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “There are still around thirty more pages, we have improved the details on certain topics such as the police, justice or even health”confirms MP Ugo Bernalicis.
“We haven’t changed the line, but we have added things, in particular because of the circumstances. 5 years ago, we weren’t talking about the Covid…”
Ugo Bernalicis, MP LFIat franceinfo
“We also had to adapt to five years of Macronism, there are things that were quantified in 2017, but as the situation has worsened, elements have moved”, adds the deputy Eric Coquerel who takes the example of the increase in the budgets planned for the ecological transition. With a series of thematic booklets, a comparator of programs and “plans” presenting the first emergency measures, the movement of the “rebellious” leader continued its important programmatic work. “Then, there are not many new features in the program, it plays the matured project card”observes political scientist Rémi Lebebvre, professor of political science at the University of Lille 2.
The program nevertheless includes some new features such as the creation of a maximum inheritance of 12 million euros or the restoration of a solidarity tax on wealth including a climate component. In a campaign marked by inflation and the question of purchasing power, the candidate Mélenchon also manages to adapt. “We propose to immediately apply a social emergency plan: with a blocking of the prices of basic necessities and energy, the increase of the Smic to 1,400 euros, a young guarantee …”explains Eric Coquerel.
Finally, Jean-Luc Mélenchon amended his European project. The famous plan A and plan B are still present, but the words have changed. It’s no longer about “leave” Europe if we do not manage to change it, but “disobey blocking rules whenever necessary”. The candidate’s entourage evokes an approach “more pragmatic and less binary”, drawn from the experience of the “rebellious” in the European Parliament. “People told us in 2017 that they didn’t understand, so we took into accountexplains Ugo Bernalicis. We will create a balance of power and we will use the legal tools with the ‘opt-out’ clause to be able to withdraw from the treaties whenever it is possible.”
The immersive meeting or how to create the event
After the hologram in 2017, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s team had a new idea: the “immersive and olfactory” meeting. This “world premiere”, according to the “rebellious”, made it possible to create the event in front of 3,500 activists present in Nantes. “For the smell, it was very light, but the imaging was successful”says a journalist present at the rally.
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“It’s not just communication gadgets, explains Manuel Bompard. We assume to use the means of campaign which seek to mark the spirits, to interest people in our program. The candidate will continue to develop this event strategy with the organization of a large march for life on March 20 and the return of the holograms on April 5.
From TikTok to Twitch, mastering digital communication
As in 2017, the candidate Mélenchon also tries to invest all the spaces of communication. “Sir, I love your TikTok account!”, launches a young Bordeaux high school student to Jean-Luc Mélenchon in a video broadcast on February 2 on the Youtube channel of influencer Magali Berdah. For the uninitiated, TikTok is a very popular platform for young people and dedicated to uploading short videos. “I didn’t believe it at all, but it’s a great challenge because it’s about doing something in a few seconds that is not very efficient”replies Jean-Luc Mélenchon to the young Girondin.
@jlmelenchon 1 million subscribers! Thank you ! ❤️
♬ original sound – Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Launched in July 2020, the LFI MP’s TikTok account currently has 1.4 million subscribers. It’s much better than Marine Le Pen’s 330,000, Eric Zemmour’s 195,000 or Valérie Pécresse’s 3,500. Only Emmanuel Macron manages to do better with 2.8 million subscribers. “TikTok is a grammar that does not correspond at all to the political world at the base, we had to find how to create political discourse in the language of this social network”, says Antoine Léaument, head of digital communication at Jean-Luc Mélenchon. A person from the campaign team is therefore full-time on TikTok to spot trends and come up with content ideas. “We gain about 130,000 subscribers a week”advance Antoine Leaument.
“TikTok’s algorithm also allows us to get out of the cognitive bubble that Facebook’s algorithm creates, meaning that you will only see positive content about your candidate and your content will only be shown to your activists. “
Antoine Léaument, head of digital communication at Jean-Luc Mélenchonat franceinfo
“Things are changing very quickly, but we maintain the desire to use all the places where there are interactions between individuals. In 2017, it was Youtube, this time it’s TikTok “, explains Manuel Bompard. The candidate of the “Popular Union” does not stop at TikTok since he has also invested Twitch. This platform, originally used by video game enthusiasts, gives him the opportunity to produce the Allo Mélenchon program where he answers live questions from Internet users. “It allows us to talk about our program with the time we want, to have a direct link with people”rejoices Antoine Léaument.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon does not forget his Youtube channel, which now has 660,000 subscribers, three times more than in 2017 at the same time. “He’s an influencer”observes Antoine Léaument. “All of these platforms have a big advantage: after a TV appearance, you have a second life for the political program thanks to all the excerpts that we choose to relay online”, analyzes Eric Coquerel. Especially since the candidate does not hesitate to go to all the media, whether at Cyril Hanouna or with the influencer Magali Berdah. “He is not contemptuous and goes to all the shows that can address all audiences”explains Manuel Bompard.
The structure of the campaign
For this new campaign, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has chosen to rely on a novelty with the parliament of the People’s Union. Composed of 300 people, this body seeks to liaise between civil society, social movements and the countryside. “This shows that the project is supported by people, associations, intermediary bodies”welcomes Ugo Bernalicis.
“It is especially useful to constitute an airlock for rallies, it allows to reach Mélenchon without going through the LFI box”, analyzes political scientist Rémi Lefebvre. The former journalist Aymeric Caron, the communist deputy Sébastien Jumel, the former spokesperson for Sandrine Rousseau Thomas Portes or even the figure of the marches for the climate Claire Le Jeune have thus taken the plunge.
At the same time, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his teams have made progress in the organization thanks to the experience acquired. “The campaign is very professional. For example, they internalized the organization of their meeting”, notes Rémi Lefebvre. The candidate’s movement has also set up a digital platform called “Popular Action”, a kind of social network that allows activists to organize themselves. “We created the platform with 6 or 7 developers, says Antoine Léaument. People can put events, actions and meet other ‘rebellious’…”
The turtle that targets abstainers
As for the rest, the strategy by Jean-Luc Melenchon has undergone adjustments. “In 2017, he did not claim to be the candidate of the left, because Hollande had somewhat killed the idea of the left. But now we clearly claim to revive a left”first observes Eric Coquerel.
We also have to adapt to a new political context. The Communists have decided to present the candidacy of Fabien Roussel and this could thus deprive the LFI deputy of some precious points on the evening of the first round. “It also complicates obtaining sponsorships for Jean-Luc Mélenchon and it mobilizes the energy of some of his troops”, notes Rémi Lefebvre. The controversies over the union of the left and the sequence of the popular primary disrupted the start of the campaign of the “rebellious” who would now like to talk about the substance.
On the tone, Jean-Luc Mélenchon seems to have trouble deciding. The sequence of the search in the premises of insubordinate France has damaged the image of the tribune in public opinion and he seems to be trying to soften up. “But when you see his altercation with a policeman at Hanouna, it’s hard to understand the strategy”observes Rémi Lefebvre.
“He did not really decide between two options: to give pledges to the famous angry not fascists, and at the same time the need to reassure the electorate of the moderate left.”
Rémi Lefebvre, political scientistat franceinfo
With polls hovering around 10% for several weeks, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has not yet set in motion the dynamics of 2017. But he is counting on the mobilization of abstainers and the working classes to create a surprise. He is also counting on the fruits of the presidential long-distance race initiated in November 2020. In a meeting, the candidate moreover described himself as a “sagacious turtle” Who “move slowly and exhaust the hares”. The animal has become a symbol of rallying and hope for the “rebellious” who hope to turn the fable into reality.