The French left vows a “complete break” with Macron’s policies – World

PARIS: The French left formed a united front on Friday, promising a “complete break” with President Emmanuel Macron’s policies if he wins the June 30 and July 7 polls, a move that could give the far right significant gains in parliament.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, also addressing voters, announced the formation of a “government of national unity” if her party takes power in early legislative elections.

Macron stunned France on Sunday by calling elections after Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) polled more than twice as much as his centrist alliance in last week’s European elections.

Left-wing groups, including the far-left France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialist, Communist and Green parties, agreed on Thursday to an electoral alliance called the New Popular Front.

On Friday, they presented a joint manifesto whose main actions were to reject Macron’s controversial reforms on immigration and pensions if they win in the polls.

They also promised to “take up the climate challenge” – having failed to agree on whether to continue modernizing France’s nuclear power plant fleet – and maintain support for Ukraine against Russia.

“It will either be the far right or us,” Green Party leader Marine Tondelier told reporters.

The coalition gained the support of leading left-wing politician Raphael Glucksmann (44), who led the list supported by socialists in the European elections.

“We cannot leave France to the Le Pen family,” he told broadcaster France Inter.

The alliance’s name is a nod to the Popular Front, a political alliance founded in France in 1936 to combat fascism.

Polls suggest Le Pen’s party will massively increase its presence in parliament from its current 88 of 577 seats.

In 2011, she took over the National Front – founded in 1972 by a former SS member – from her father, changing its name and running for president three times.

“Hate and Discrimination”

It was unclear who, if victorious, would lead the New People’s Front and become prime minister. Glucksmann excluded LFI abrasives leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Francois Hollande, a former socialist president, also supported the new union, saying left-wing forces “have gone beyond our differences.”

Hitting the campaign trail in Pas-de-Calais in northern France, Le Pen claimed the RN could win the election and form a “government of national unity”.

“We need to get France out of its rut,” said the 55-year-old, who will run for the fourth time in the 2027 presidential elections, adding that the country is in a “catastrophic situation.”

On Friday, the far right suffered a defeat in the form of an Instagram post by one of the leading French YouTubers, Squeezie – the pseudonym of 28-year-old Lucas Hauchard.

“I never wanted to talk about politics with you,” he told his nearly nine million Instagram followers.

“However, I believe that strong opposition to extremist ideology preaching hatred and discrimination goes beyond any political position,” he added in a post that was liked by almost 900,000 people within hours.

Published in Dawn, June 15, 2024