A new alliance boosts the left ahead of France’s parliamentary elections
But its firebrand leader is unlikely to become prime minister
IN A POLITICAL takeover that upends the past half-century’s political order, the radical French left has swallowed the centre-left. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a 70-year-old firebrand with a gift for oratory and a fondness for Latin American autocrats, launched on May 7th an electoral alliance ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections. Snappily named the “New Popular, Environmental and Social Union”, or NUPES, its main purpose is captured in his election poster: “Mélenchon, prime minister”. To the dismay of old-time moderates, the Socialists and Greens (as well as the Communists) have officially signed up.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “NUPES and dupes”
Europe May 14th 2022
- It will be hard for Ukraine’s economy to sustain a long war
- What Russia’s Victory Day celebrations say about the war in Ukraine
- The Social Democrats suffer crushing defeat in Schleswig-Holstein
- A new alliance boosts the left ahead of France’s parliamentary elections
- “Borgen” returns after a decade to a pessimistic Europe
- Europe’s handling of war on its doorstep breaks a decade-long streak of fumbled crises
From the May 14th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
A dispute over old war crimes strains Polish-Ukrainian relations
The beneficiary is Russia
Austria could soon have a first far-right leader since 1945
Herbert Kickl of the Freedom Party could be the next head of government
Europe has lots of lithium, but struggles to get it out of the ground
Its targets for strategic autonomy look hard to meet
Spain’s government marks 50 years since Franco died
Opponents say it is the birth of democracy that should be commemorated
How extremist politics became mainstream in France
Jean-Marie Le Pen paved the way for his daughter, Marine