As the path towards the union of left-wing candidates for the 2022 presidential election is stuck in an impasse and the prospect of a common primary recedes, the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan (Socialist Party), called for a rally on Friday, January 7. During his greetings to the press, he considered that the local union of Printemps Marseille, which made it possible to win the last municipal elections in his city, should inspire the national leaders for the presidential poll.
“What we managed to do in Marseille, I am convinced that some will succeed in doing it in the country. There is no other alternative than a rally because, otherwise, it will be the full force of the wall ”, Mr Payan continued. Former first deputy of the second city of France, he became mayor in December 2020, during his job exchange with the ecologist Michèle Rubirola.
In 2020, the Printemps Marseille list – bringing together all the major components of the left, from the Socialist Party (PS) to the French Communist Party (PCF), including La France insoumise (LFI) and Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) – had created the surprise by winning the ballot. For twenty-five years, the city had been managed by the right, with Jean-Claude Gaudin (Les Républicains, LR) at its head.
“Responsibility” to “come together” as quickly as possible
“When we decided to do the Marseille Spring, we said: ‘We are putting our flag down.’ Of course we have differences that some consider insurmountable, but we have managed to overcome them “, argued Mr. Payan Friday, to justify that a union at the national level is still possible according to him, within a hundred days of the first round.
For the Marseille councilor, the upcoming election is “The most important since 1981”, the year that saw the left, led by François Mitterrand, come to power. “It’s an end-of-cycle election”, he continued, evoking “A fragmentation of democratic behavior” and “A sagging institutional reality”.
“I consider it time to think outside the box, to move on. And, to do this, my camp, my political family, the inclination of my thought, that of progress, has a responsibility. That of looking for what [la] gathers “, he said.
“The women and men who aspire to lead this country are in the money time [le moment où tout se joue]. They have a few days, a few weeks left (…), they must talk to each other, get along, call each other, meet and decide to do things together, they must come together ”, said Payan. He said he had not yet sponsored a candidate for the ballot.
“Everyone will therefore wear their own colors,” says Anne Hidalgo
The union that Mr. Payan calls for is not on the right track, however. On December 8, the socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo had, by surprise, appealed to her left-wing opponents by proposing a common primary, so that they unite around a single candidacy. However, she was opposed to a very clear disallowance from Yannick Jadot, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Fabien Roussel.
In the meantime, another potential candidate has entered the dance: former Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira. She says she supports the People’s Primary citizens’ initiative and will submit to it if it presents itself. She must make her decision known “By January 15”.
Mme Hidalgo for his part especially tried to convince the environmental camp and its candidate, Mr. Jadot, to comply with the common ballot. She clarified that if the latter did not participate in a primary, she would not go either and would maintain her candidacy. A scenario towards which she seems to be heading in spite of herself in recent days, after the failure of exchanges at the end of the year 2021.
The latter also takes note of Mr. Jadot’s refusal, even if she does not understand it, as she says in Release, Friday. « From Jean-Luc Mélenchon, this is not surprising: he embodies a left which, basically, rejects the idea of governing. Corn [Yannick] Jadot, he wants to seek the Social Democratic electorate and he has such condescension », Declares the mayor of Paris.
Thus, she affirms on a daily basis with a certain resignation: “Everyone will therefore wear their colors, it will be more difficult, but the policy has some nice surprises in stores. » “I stick to it, I’m going”, concedes Mme Hidalgo, who continues his campaign, like all his other left-wing opponents, and plans to present his program on January 13.
While the left fails to unite, twelve activists, including environmental MEP Pierre Larrouturou, began a hunger strike on Friday in an attempt to turn the situation around.