It’s a victory, but it’s not the announced victory. By turning almost on par with Ensemble!, and after having been slightly ahead for a long time for the 1st round of the legislative elections, the left united under the Nupes banner succeeded in making an impression.
>> Legislative 2022: the complete results of the first round in each constituency
But it will be another pair of sleeves to get the absolute majority next Sunday. And for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the objective of this week between the two rounds is clear: to try to remobilize the abstainers.
Moreover, from Sunday evening at the announcement of the results, applauded by the militants on his arrival, Jean-Luc Mélenchon mocks, in front of them, the projections of the results in headquarters. “It’s the percentages that count. Projections are to calm the bourgeois“, he smiles. But once in front of the cameras, the tone changes, the voice is less sure, interspersed with silences: “I address you with all the emotion that you can guess in view of the result as it is announced to us…“. Because even if Nupes passed the first test of its short history, the 1st party of France remains abstention and Jean-Luc Mélenchon knows it: “I call on our people to come out on Sunday.“
Jean-Luc Mélenchon knows that he must remobilize massively to win. “In this between-two rounds, you have to tell the French people who did not go to vote, you see that it is possible“, positive thus the socialist Corinne Narassiguin. “It’s still the left that made the event in the first round“, insists PS number 2also recognizing the limits of the Nupes strategy.
“We knew that by having common candidates, our reserves would abstain”
Corinne Narassiguinat franceinfo
The ecologist Julien Bayou points out the culprit: the government which refused the debate. “If you want to increase turnout in the second round, have an in-between round debate. We demand it! We want Elisabeth Borne against Jean-Luc Mélenchon, yes or no?“, he offers.
>> Legislative 2022: view the record abstention from the first round
The rebellious Eric Coquerel will use the argument of the anti-Macron referendum to mobilize and continue to target young people, who have completely loosened the 1st round. 74% of young people under 34 did not travel. Léa, a rebellious young activist, savors this result of the first round, while measuring the work to come. “We are very happy and there, we must mobilize for the second round. We, our reserve of votes, really, is in the participation“, she insists.
The fact remains that, among the Insoumis, many believe that “The dice are loaded“. They thus entrust to franceinfo not to understand”why Mélenchon was not already in the 2nd round of the presidential election when they had moved en massee”, as this faithful Mélenchoniste observes. The strategy will therefore consist in recalling the measures which directly concern them: communicating on social networks. “This is clearly where it’s at“, analyzes the elected LFI. The fact remains that the rebellious leader has only five days left to convince the French who have largely shunned this 1st round. And the task promises to be daunting.