Presidential election in France

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, candidate for French President for the Left Front will obtain 8% of the vote, up from 7% in December, according to a new poll by le Parisien newspaper.

Together with a rise of one point to 4% for the Green candidate Eva Joly, and a 1% score for Lutte Ouvrière’s Nathalie Arthaud, the increase in the vote for the candidate for the left socialist/communist alliance may explain the fall in support for François Hollande of the Socialists. He’s now at 28%, a fall of 7 points.

Incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy is at 24%, a drop of half a point, while UMP rival Dominique de Villepin is now at 4%, up three points.

Far-right Marine Le Pen remains at 17%.

Socialist Hollande is still expected to defeat Sarkozy in the second round.

The Left Front is already a front with the former left wing of the Socialist Party (Left party - Jean-luc Mélenchon), the Communist Party (the biggest party), and some former trotskyists (Unitary left). The other trotskyists (Lutte Ouvrière) refuse to make an alliance and have no representation in the parliament. The Socialist party is not Socialist anymore since it doesn't care about the working class, prefer to defend the so-called "middle class", support budget cuts in Europe, downsizing the public service, and delaying the retirement age (like Papandreou did in Greece) and tried to seal an alliance with the Center (Democrat movement). The Greens don't care about the Left Front, they just want some representation in Parliament, so they agreed with the biggest left party, the Socialist Party.

So the Left Front would constitute an united front then, as contrasted with a popular front. Given France's political situation, I consider this to be a sound position. I mean why marginalise yourself by alligning yourself in a coalition with a predominate party which is more centrist. I also do not feel that the Socialists, whom seem to me to be more so social liberals, would even want to partner with the Communists. This isn't like it was under Mitterand you know. I know that it I were French, I'd vote for the Left Front. Though as I'm not French, It's probally not any of my concern. I am somewhat troubled by how much support the National Front has garnered. I feel that the third positionists have been vying for the votes of the workers, by making demagogic appeals. The political left will have to work especially hard to counter this onslaught.

Sounds like the Left in France is still quite weak compared to its heyday

Pretty funny how, just two and a half years ago, the PCF and Left Front were declared dead electorally speaking, and everyone was singing the praises of the NPA. The PCF may have all sorts of imperfections, but even with those, they still have more longevity than an opportunistic cooperation between Trotskyist groups.

Some quick questions to OP-Bagration: does Mélenchon have any particular appeal that might explain the growth of support for the Left Front right now? Even though of course he doesn't stand a chance to make the second round, could a strong campaign also translate to a better parliamentary result this year? And what is the reason for the decline of the NPA?

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does Mélenchon have any particular appeal that might explain the growth of support for the Left Front right now?

Yes, he has a strong personality. This is very important in this election because you are going to elect the almighty president. So people vote for a person, they expect to see him on TV, and Mélenchon is pretty good at this, even though some people believe he is too aggressive.

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could a strong campaign also translate to a better parliamentary result this year?

It's likely it will, because the Left Front will present its candidates in this election for the first time. While during the other elections we were at 6%, the presidential election might give us a greater notoriety. Moreover, while in the presidential election many people vote for the biggest left party because they fear the victory of the right, it will be different with the parliamentary election.

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And what is the reason for the decline of the NPA?

The main reason is their failure in creating a movement with clear objectives. They became divided, particularly about religion. One of their candidates, a woman, was wearing a veil, and they had a dispute about this. In addition, some groups were criticizing the internal organization. In the end, they lost their members, and remaining people are mostly former LCR members.

The second reason is that Olivier Bensancenot, their former charismatic leader, decided not to stand for presidential election. We don't know why exactly, maybe he was fed up. His successor, Phillippe Poutou, is a total stranger without the same experience. And also in French, Poutou stand for "little kiss".

There is few doubts now that the NPA will not take part in the presidential election, because they wont have the 500 sponsorships needed.

What are the chances that Le Pen actually wins this time? He seems to have gathered quite significant support...how can this be explained?
BTW,is it true that the French Comparty was anti-immigration until the 80s?

Loz wrote:

What are the chances that Le Pen actually wins this time? He seems to have gathered quite significant support...how can this be explained?
BTW,is it true that the French Comparty was anti-immigration until the 80s?

Since this is an open question, let me say that Jean Marie Le Pen has officially retired from politics. It's his daughter, Marine Le Pen , who's running for the presidency. It appears that perhaps, similar somewhat to Ann Coulter here in the States, that Marine Le Pen might be generating interest given her blonde feminine appeal. Here's a picture of her, so that you can judge for yourself how much her sex appeal might be helping her politicly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. And right-wingers do have particular tastes.

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What are the chances that Le Pen actually wins this time?

None, or almost. They would need enough voices to reach the second round of the presidential election, which would mean more than the Socialist party, so at least 28%. It seems quite difficult, but not impossible. Then, they would need to obtain more than 50% of the voices. People would vote against the National front, just as they did in 2002 (82,21% for Chirac against Le Pen). It is possible that a few on the left would refuse to vote for the Socialist Party, because they are fed up with the rhetoric "ok, I'm a bastard, but fascism is worst". A few right-wing supporters would also vote for the National front. But it would not be enough anyway.

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He seems to have gathered quite significant support...how can this be explained?

The first reason is that Sarkozy's government used the National front's rhetoric against immigrants and spoke about "national identity". As Sarkozy approved certain of their ideas, it became much more easy for them to defend their program in the media. Also stupid "democrat" people believed that the National front had to be accepted as a normal party in order to struggle against its ideas. The second reason is that the National Front, thanks to the change in leadership, pretended to make a "left turn". They spoke about the workers' difficulties, pretended to defend them against immigrants and bad capitalits. In a way it's like if you went from the SS to the SA. I call it a "strasserist" turn. The personality of Marine Le Pen is also an argument. She is a woman with some kind of authority, and also younger than her father, and she never said anything about the jews. So she helped to undemonize the party.

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BTW,is it true that the French Comparty was anti-immigration until the 80s?

Yes. Georges Marchais said that immigration should be stopped because immigrants were used by capitalists as slaves. Marine Le Pen used this argument against the left, yet Georges Marchais also said that workers of all countries are brother, that they should struggle altogether against capitalism, and that immigrants should be granted the same rights as French workers. The National front "forgot" this part of Marchais' ideas because this is totally the contrary of what they say. He also said that immigrants already in France should not be expelled.

So the National Front is anti-immigration and anti-immigrants, but Marchais' Communist Party was against immigration and pro-immigrants.

"I must make it clear: official and illegal immigration must be stopped, but immigrant workers already in France don't have to be forcibly removed as it was done in West Germany by Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
We also say: immigrant workers must be given the same social rights as their French comrades. We have the most advanced propositions in this direction." L'Humanité, january 7 1981.

PS : I was unfair when I said that Marchais was anti-immigration. He was not anti-immigration in general, but he thought that, because of the problems encountered in Communist towns, immigration had to be stopped in 1981.

That's actually pretty remarkable. In the early 80s, the Dutch Socialist Party (contrary to the name, a maoist sect at the time) took a similar position, saying that guest labour from Islamic countries was a matter of "divide and rule" and that all immigrants had to either assimilate (take on our language and customs) or be sent home with a ƒ75,000 fee (a "Frag bonus", so to speak). A position that was rather heavily criticised by the Communist Party, who accused the SP of trying to "appeal to Centre Party voters" (the equivalent of the FN at the time). So it's rather amusing and interesting that a communist party once had a similar position. Not really something to judge them for though, the issue must have confused a lot of leftists.

Pim Fortuyn, now the messiah of the right-populist movement, also supported the position that the borders had to be closed to immigrants, but that all immigrants already in the country should be given permanent residency. He completely opposed deportations. Just some interesting parallels.

What kind of problems related to immigration were caused in communist towns?

According to a new poll published today, the Left Front is now at 11%.

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What kind of problems related to immigration were caused in communist towns?

Right-wing mayors were accused of getting rid of immigrants by sending them to communist towns.

The NPA is now totally divided. A group inside the NPA, the "Anticapitalist Left", criticized publicly yesterday the party's orientation and the failure of Poutou's campaign and demanded that the NPA join the Left Front.

Also, the so-called socialist leader François Hollande, visiting London, declared to The Guardian : "The 1980s was a different era. People said there would be Soviet tanks on the Place de La Concorde. That era is over, it's history. It's normal there were fears then. There had been 23 years of the right in power, the cold war was on and Mitterrand nominated Communist ministers to government. Today there are no Communists in France. Or not many ... the left was in government for 15 years in which we liberalised the economy and opened up the markets to finance and privatisations. There is no big fear"

The Left Front leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, denounced a "haughty attitude". French communists are outraged, especially since the French translations most often forgot the second part of the statement "or not many".

Letchimy versus Guéant

Translated Sunday 19 February 2012, by Kristina Wischenkamper and reviewed by Henry Crapo
L'Humanité

Serge Letchimy, MP for Martinique and affiliated to the Parti Socialiste, did not overstate his case. He did, however, pose a vital question, full of humanity and literary flair.
The Right, as well as far too many newspaper articles, have been crying outrage, citing Godwin’s Law. Godwin is the name of the sociologist who found (humourously) that the longer a debate progresses online, the greater the probability of a comparison with Hitler or the Nazis. Yet one need only reread the question Letchimy asks the Prime Minister, to realize that the evocation of Nazism is not a lack of argument here.
The best way to do justice to this MP is to publish his question here, the text of which is also available on his blog. It is an indignant speech, but one marked with the seal of the humanist, for which the Right is still calling for him to apologize.

"Mr. Prime Minister,
We already know that for Mr Guéant, the line between "immigration" and "invasion" is invisible, and that he can cleverly blur the distinction between civilization and political régime.
This is no slip of the tongue!
It is a completely voluntary decision!
In short: it is a state of mind and it is almost a crusade!
Mr Guéant, you stoop so low as to claim, with neither remorse nor regret, that "all civilizations are not created equal." Some are more "advanced" or "superior" to others.
No, Mr Guéant, this is not common sense!
It is quite simply an insult to mankind!
It is a denial of the richness of human experience!
And it is an attack upon the diversity of peoples, cultures and civilizations!
No single civilization holds the candle to light or to darken reason!
No single race has a monopoly on beauty, science, progress, or intelligence!
Montaigne said that "Each man carries in him the entire experience of the human condition."
And I agree with him.
But you Mr Guéant, you prefer the darkness!
Day after day you take us back to those European ideologies that led to concentration camps after campaigns of slavery and colonialism.
Mr Guéant the Nazi regime, so fretful about remaining pure, so hostile to all differences, was it a civilization? The barbarism of slavery and colonization, was it a civilizing mission?
Mr Prime Minister, it is an obscure corner of France that nurtures nostalgia for those dark days that you are trying to win over from the National Front. This is a dangerous game you are playing and one of unacceptable demagogy.
But there is another view: that of Montaigne, Montesquieu, Condorcet, Voltaire, Schoelcher, Hugo, Césaire, Fanon, and so many others! A France that invites us to recognize that every one of us, in his identity and her difference, defines the human condition, and that is what should be at the root of all our alliances: our difference!
So Mr Prime Minister, my question is this: When will the Minister of the Interior cease to be an affront to the image of your government and to the honour of France?"
Serge Letchimy
Deputy of Martinique

There is a big debate between the right and the far right. They discovered that a great part of French-produced meat is halal, and of course they disagree with that:


"Some people believe that you can catch Islamism by eating halal steak...

If you SHARE it, you can catch COMMUNISM"

The French are the best at political cartoons. Like they care about it actually being funny. Also this exact same issue crops up every once in awhile in America.

Tomorrow, for the anniversary of the Paris Commune, thousands of Communists and Socialists will march in Paris, from Nation to the Bastille, in support to the Left Front and for the establishment of a new Republic.

Long live the Paris Commune !

Jean-Luc Mélenchon « There Is A Good Common To All of Humanity »
Storming the Bastille

The Paris Commune was one of the greatest chapters in human history and it seems to be intentionally forgotten by the western historians and intellectuals who are only interested in the darkest side of communism. The bloody massacres of the communards still bothers many people. How to explain the massacre of unarmed communists by the democratic ones? Must be very hard to do it really...

The demonstration was a great success. we were 120 000 in the streets.