The objective of the popular Primary has been clear from the start: to unite the left behind a single candidate able to “to win ecology and social justice” during the presidential election. To do this, the organizers have developed a platform common ideas in the spring of 2021 and selected ten potential candidates thanks to a system of sponsorships, to finally retain seven personalities. More than 400,000 people – according to figures released on Sunday January 23 by the organizers – will therefore be called upon to vote from Thursday 27 January, and until Sunday 30, for appoint their champion via an unprecedented voting system (majority judgment).
But less than 80 days before the first round of the presidential election, on April 10, only Christiane Taubira, the last to declare herself a candidate, registered her participation and promised that she would comply with the results of this ballot (just like MEP Pierre Larrouturou and civil society candidates Charlotte Marchandise and Anna Agueb-Porterie). On the other hand, the main left-wing candidates (Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Yannick Jadot and Anne Hidalgo) still refuse to participate in this citizens’ initiative independent of political parties. Franceinfo explains why.
By that this election would be more of a poll than a primary
That’s actually what I think Jean-Philippe Derosier, associate professor of public law. “The supposed process of allowing a common candidacy for the left in the presidential election is illegal. (…) Because, although it bears the name, this initiative is not a primary. And although it does not bear the name, it is nothing but a poll”, assures the lawyer in a forum at the JDD.
This member of the Institut universitaire de France also points to a sprain in “principle of sincerity of the vote” guaranteed by the Constitution, due to the automatic inclusion of three candidates who nevertheless refused to take part. A situation “problematic and insincere” that Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s camp denounces in a press release.
But for Philippe Bluteau, the advocate of the popular Primary, these criticisms have no place. “The Constitutional Council considers that from the moment a candidate has at least five days before the election to react to information which concerns him, then the voters are not deceived. The results will be published two months before the first round. The delay is widely considered sufficient by the Constitutional Council for all candidates – including those who are not committed to our results – to make it known that these results do not bind them. he defends himself to the HuffPost.
Because it’s too late to create the conditions for a gathering
This is what Yannick Jadot and Jean-Luc Mélenchon think above all. For the environmental candidate, who has already participated in and won his party’s primary, “the popular Primary is a losing machine”. Unlike Sandrine Rousseau, who campaigned internally for the Green MEP to change his mind, Yannick Jadot persists and signs. “We’ve been debating for a year, we’ve been preparing a project for a year. Let us talk about our proposals and qstop bothering us, let us win. Let the popular Primary stop killing the left and ecology. That they let us win this presidential election”, he launched Wednesday on franceinfo.
Same observation on the side of La France insoumise. For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, there are far too many program differences with the other left-wing candidates. And less than three months from the presidential election, “he’s not serious”, according to him, to want to develop a common political project. The LFI candidate, who has never wanted to discuss with his little comrades on the left since the start of the campaign, is categorical: “The popular Primary is not my business. It is not unity that we need because it would prevent mobilization”, he hammered recently on RTL.
Finally, Anne Hidalgo, who had herself tried to initiate a left-wing primary in early December, finally did an about-face. After the categorical refusal of the other candidates, and in particular Yannick Jadot, the PS mayor of Paris decided to continue her campaign and not to submit to the vote of the Popular Primary either. “They can remove my name. I know they won’t since they’ve already responded to Yannick Jadot and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, but I won’t take the results of this primary into account.”, she assured France Info.
Because the intentions of the organizers are in doubt
In a video dated November 2 and initially intended for the volunteers of the popular Primary, Samuel Grzybowski, one of the spokespersons of this citizens’ initiative, affirms than “the political goal [de la Primaire populaire], is to try to prevent Anne Hidalgo, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Fabien Roussel, Arnaud Montebourg and Yannick Jadot from having the 500 signatures“ needed to run for president.
Something to stir up trouble on the real intentions of the organizers of this vote, which the “rebellious” and environmentalist candidates hastened to denounce. Manuel Bompard, thehe campaign manager of Jean-Luc Mélenchon tackled in a press release “the deliberately brutal character of this initiative, without respect for the people involved in this presidential election”. Before adding: “ATthus, the candidates will be put to the vote without their agreement. Others will not be there, without their opinions either”, with particular reference to Fabien Roussel, the communist candidate who is not among the seven popular Primary figurese. The organizers defend themselves by evoking on their side the escape of a “video for internal use, taken out of context” and used for “discredit“.