The war in Ukraine, which dominates the French presidential campaign, might have sabotaged the candidacy of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. His competitors on the left have in any case employed it, describing him as complacent vis-à-vis Vladimir Putin, unrealistic and even dangerous in his idea of dialogue with Russia. For the moment, the Popular Union candidate does not seem affected. The criticisms of environmentalists and socialists, the boos of other deputies “walkers” in the National Assembly, last Tuesday, he does not care. And besides, the left, he hardly talked regarding it anymore, Sunday March 6, at a meeting in Lyon in the Croix-Rousse district, or quickly at the turn of a sentence to denounce false trials.
On the Gros Caillou esplanade, the People’s Union candidate brought together the crowds more than ever, 15,000 people according to the organizers. The place was crowded. And the polls credit him with 12% of voting intentions, just over two points from the second round access ticket, according to the latest edition of the Ipsos survey for the Jean Jaurès Foundation, Cevipof and The world.
Even the Popular Primary ignored, on Saturday, the vote of those registered who had granted second place to Yannick Jadot, and voted in reduced format support for the Popular Union campaign, following the withdrawal of Christiane Taubira. Meanwhile, the “rebellious” are counting the points in this battle for effective voting on the left. “This choice of the popular Primary says something, the idea that is taking hold is that to win you have to be with Jean-Luc Mélenchon”wants to believe Manuel Bompard, his campaign director, who has asked to meet with the Popular Primary to agree on the terms of the campaign. “completely independent” they intend to carry out for the deputy of Bouches-du-Rhône.
After the exclusion of Sandrine Rousseau from Yannick Jadot’s campaign team, some at La France insoumise hope for a signal from her soon, even if everyone is careful not to rush her. Her former spokesman Thomas Portes, who joined the People’s Union parliament, saw her the day following her ousting for a conversation between friends which at this stage has no political outlet, he says. . Yannick Jadot’s decision in any case raises doubts regarding the place of the political future of Mme Rousseau, which rejoiced the “rebellious”.
Skillful reversal
As for the attacks from the left… Accused of being an accomplice of a dictatorship, the candidate made a clever reversal on Sunday, without changing the substance of his position on foreign policy. “Stop the war, stop the Putin war! », he launched at the opening of his meeting. At the entrance, an activist distributes olive branches to hang on the buttonhole, the loudspeakers play pacifist songs. A whole atmosphere to accredit the idea that, yes, to vote Jean-Luc Mélenchon is to vote for peace.
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