Français | English

Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières

    • Issues
      • Health (Issues)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Issues)
          • AIDS / HIV (Health)
          • Monkeypox (epidemics, health)
          • Poliomyelitis (epidemics, health)
          • Tuberculosis (epidemics, health)
      • Individuals
        • Alain Krivine
        • Amilcar Cabral
          • Miguel “Moro” Romero
        • Antonio Gramsci
        • Baghat Singh
        • bell hooks (En)
        • Benedict Anderson
        • C.L.R. James
        • Che Guevara
          • Che Guevara (obituary)
        • Clara Zetkin
        • Claude Jacquin, Claude Gabriel
        • Daniel Bensaïd
          • Daniel Bensaïd (obituary)
        • David Graeber
        • David Rousset
        • David Sanders
        • Diego Maradona
        • Ellen Meiksins Wood
        • Enzo Traverso
        • Eric Hobsbawm
        • Erik Olin Wright
        • Ernest (‘Ernie’) Tate
        • Ernest Mandel
        • Fernando Cardenal
        • Fidel Castro
        • Franz Fanon
        • Franz Kafka
        • Gabriel Kolko
        • Gérard Chaouat
        • Gisèle Halimi
        • Görgy Lukács
        • Henk Sneevliet
        • Herbert Marcuse
        • Hugo Blanco
        • Immanuel Wallerstein
        • István Mészáros
        • James Cockcroft
        • James Connolly
        • John Lewis
        • Kai Nielsen
        • Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels
        • Ken Post
        • Lal Khan
        • Larry Kramer
        • Lenin
        • Leo Panitch
        • Leon Trotsky
          • Leon Trotsky (obituary)
        • Livio Maitan
        • Louis Althusser
        • Maarten van Dullemen
        • Mahdi Amel / Hassan Hamdan
        • Malcolm X
        • Marielle Franco
        • Marshall Berman
        • Marta Harnecker
        • Martin Luther King
        • Michael Löwy
        • Michel Husson
        • Michel Lequenne
        • Mick Gosling
        • MN Roy
        • Nawal El-Saadawi
        • Neil Davidson
        • Neil Faulkner
        • Nelson Mandela
        • Norman Geras
        • Orlando Gutiérrez
        • Patrice Lumumba
        • Paul Levi
        • Peter Gowan
        • Peter Waterman
        • Petr Uhl
        • Pierre Beaudet
        • Pierre Granet
        • Randolf “Randy” S. David
        • Richard Wright
        • Roland Lew
        • Rosa Luxemburg
          • Rosa Luxemburg (obituary)
        • Rosario Ibarra
        • Rossana Rossanda
        • Samir Amin
        • Sergio D’Amia
        • Sheila Rowbotham
        • Stuart & Brenda Christie
        • Sultan Galiev
        • Sylvia Pankhurst
        • Tan Malaka
        • Troglo – José Ramón Castaños Umaran
        • Victor Serge
        • Walter Benjamin
        • WANG Fanxi / Wang Fan-hsi
      • Solidarity
        • Solidarity: ESSF campaigns
          • ESSF financial solidarity – Global balance sheets
          • Funds (ESSF)
          • Global Appeals
          • Bangladesh (ESSF)
          • Burma, Myanmar (ESSF)
          • Indonesia (ESSF)
          • Japan (ESSF)
          • Malaysia (ESSF)
          • Nepal (ESSF)
          • Pakistan (ESSF)
          • Philippines (ESSF)
        • Solidarity: Geo-politics of Humanitarian Relief
        • Solidarity: Humanitarian and development CSOs
        • Solidarity: Humanitarian Disasters
        • Solidarity: Humanitarian response: methodologies and principles
        • Solidarity: Internationalism
          • Solidarity: Pandemics, epidemics (health, internationalism)
        • Solidarity: Political economy of disaster
      • Capitalism & globalisation
        • History (Capitalism)
      • Civilisation & identities
        • Civilisation & Identities: unity, equality
      • Ecology (Theory)
        • Animals’ Condition (Ecology)
        • Biodiversity (Ecology)
        • Climate (Ecology)
        • Commodity (Ecology)
        • Ecology, technology: Transport
        • Energy (Ecology)
        • Energy (nuclear) (Ecology)
          • Chernobyl (Ecology)
        • Technology (Ecology)
        • Water (Ecology)
      • Agriculture
        • GMO & co. (Agriculture)
      • Commons
      • Communication and politics, Media, Social Networks
      • Culture and Politics
      • Democracy
      • Development
        • Demography (Development)
        • Extractivism (Development)
        • Growth and Degrowth (Development)
      • Education (Theory)
      • Faith, religious authorities, secularism
        • Family, women (Religion, churches, secularism)
          • Religion, churches, secularism: Reproductive rights
        • Abused Children (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Blasphemy (Faith, religious authorities, secularism)
        • Creationism (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • History (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • LGBT+ (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Marxism (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Political Islam, Islamism (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Secularism
        • The veil (faith, religious authorities, secularism)
      • Fascism
      • Gender: Women
      • History
        • History: E. P. Thompson
      • Jewish Question
        • History (Jewish Question)
      • Labor & Social Movements
      • Language
      • Law
        • Exceptional powers (Law)
        • Religious arbitration forums (Law)
        • Women, family (Law)
      • LGBT+ (Theory)
      • Marxism & co.
        • Theory (Marxism & co.)
        • Postcolonial Studies / Postcolonialism (Marxism & co.)
        • Identity Politics (Marxism & co.)
        • Intersectionality (Marxism & co.)
        • Africa (Marxism)
        • France (Marxism)
      • National Question
      • Oceans (Issues)
      • Parties: Theory and Conceptions
      • Patriarchy, family, feminism
        • Ecofeminism (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Fashion, cosmetic (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Feminism & capitalism (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Language (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Prostitution (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Reproductive Rights (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Violence against women (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Women and Health ( (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Women, work (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
      • Political Strategy
      • Politics: Bibliographies
      • Politics: International Institutions
      • Psychosociology and politics
      • Racism, xenophobia, differentialism
      • Science and politics
      • Sciences & Knowledge
      • Sexuality
      • Social Formation, classes, political regime, ideology
        • Populism (Political regime, ideology)
      • Sport and politics
      • The role of the political
      • Transition: before imperialism
      • Transitional Societies (modern), socialism
      • Wars, conflicts, violences
      • Working Class, Wage labor, income, organizing
    • Movements
      • Analysis & Debates (Movements)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (Movements)
        • History of people’s movements (Movements)
      • Asia (Movements)
        • Globalization (Movements, Asia) (Movements)
        • APISC (Movements, Asia)
        • Asian Social Forum (Movements, Asia)
        • Asian Social Movements (Movements, Asia)
        • Counter-Summits (Movements, Asia)
        • Free Trade (Movements, Asia)
        • IIRE Manila (Movements, Asia)
        • In Asean (Movements, Asia)
        • People’s SAARC / SAAPE (Movements, Asia)
        • Social Protection Campaigns (Movements, Asia)
        • The Milk Tea Alliance
        • Women (Asia, movements)
      • World level (Movements)
        • Feminist Movements
          • Against Fundamentalisms (Feminist Movements)
          • Epidemics / Pandemics (Feminist Movements, health)
          • History of Women’s Movements
          • Rural, peasant (Feminist Movements)
          • World March of Women (Feminist Movements)
        • Asia-Europe People’s Forums (AEPF) (Movements)
        • Ecosocialist Networks (Movements, World)
        • Indignants (Movements)
        • Intercoll (Movements, World)
        • Internationals (socialist, communist, revolutionary) (Movements, (...)
          • International (Fourth) (Movements, World)
            • Women (Fourth International)
          • International (Second) (1889-1914) (Movements, World)
          • International (Third) (Movements, World)
            • Baku Congress (1920)
            • Communist Cooperatives (Comintern)
            • Krestintern: Comintern’s Peasant International
            • Red Sport International (Sportintern) (Comintern)
            • The Communist Youth International (Comintern)
            • The Red International of Labour Unions (RILU) (Comintern)
            • The ‘International Workers Aid’ (IWA / MRP)
            • Women (Comintern)
        • Internet, Hacktivism (Movements, World)
        • Labor & TUs (Movements, World)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (TUs, international) (Movements, World)
        • Radical Left (Movements, World)
          • IIRE (Movements, World)
          • Movements: Sal Santen (obituary)
          • Radical Parties’ Network (Movements, World)
        • Social Movements Network (Movements, World)
        • World Days of Action (Movements)
        • World Social Forum (Movements)
      • Africa (Movements)
        • Forum of the People (Movements)
      • America (N&S) (Movements)
        • Latin America (Mouvments)
        • US Social Forum (Movements)
      • Europe (Movements)
        • Alter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Anti-Austerity/Debt NetworksAlter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Anti-G8/G20 in EuropeAlter Summit (Movements)
        • Counter-Summits to the EUAlter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Free TradeAlter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Movements: European Social Forum
      • Mediterranean (Movements, MEAN)
        • Mediterranean Social Forum (Movements)
        • Political Left (Movements, MEAN)
      • Agriculture & Peasantry (Movements)
        • Women (Movements, Peasantry)
      • Antiwar Struggles (Movements)
        • History of antimilitarism (Movements)
        • Military Bases (Movements)
        • Nuclear Weapon, WMD (Movements)
      • Common Goods & Environment (Movements)
        • Biodiversity (Movements)
        • Climate (Movements)
        • Ecosocialist International Networky (Movements)
        • Nuclear (energy) (Movements)
          • AEPF “No-Nuke” Circle (Movements)
        • Water (Movements)
      • Debt, taxes & Financial Institutions (Movements)
        • IMF (Movements)
        • World Bank (Movements)
      • Health (Movements)
        • Women’s Health (Movements)
        • Asbestos (Movements, health, World)
        • Drugs (Movements, health, World)
        • Epidemics (Movements, health, World)
        • Health & Work (Movements, health, World)
        • Health and social crisis (Movements, health, World)
        • Nuclear (Movements, health, World)
        • Pollution (Movements, health, World)
      • Human Rights & Freedoms (Movements, World)
        • Women’s Rights (Movements, HR)
        • Corporate HR violations (Movements, HR)
        • Disability (Movements, HR)
        • Exceptional Powers (Movements, HR)
        • Justice, law (Movements, HR)
        • Media, Internet (Movements, HR)
        • Non-State Actors (Movements, World)
        • Police, weapons (Movements, HR)
        • Rights of free meeting (Movements, HR)
        • Secret services (Movements, HR)
      • LGBT+ (Movements, World)
      • Parliamentary field (Movements, health, World)
      • Social Rights, Labor (Movements)
        • Reclaim People’s Dignity (Movements)
        • Urban Rights (Movements)
      • TNCs, Trade, WTO (Movements)
        • Cocoa value chain (Movements)
    • World
      • The world today (World)
      • Global Crisis (World)
      • Global health crises, pandemics (World)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (economic crisis, World)
      • Economy (World)
        • Financial and economic crisis (World)
          • Car industry, transport (World)
      • Extreme right, fascism, fundamentalism (World)
      • History (World)
      • Migrants, refugees (World)
      • Terrorism (World)
    • Africa
      • Africa Today
      • African environment
      • African history
      • Women (Africa)
      • Africa: epidemics, pandemics
      • African economy
      • Angola
        • Angola: History
      • Burkina Faso
      • Cameroon
        • Cameroon: LGBT+
      • Central African Republic (CAR)
      • Chad
      • Congo Kinshasa (DRC)
      • Djibouti (Eng)
      • Eritrea
      • Ethiopia
      • Gambia
      • Ghana
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Ghana)
        • Ghana: LGBT+
      • Guinea (Conakry)
      • Ivory Coast
      • Kenya
        • Kenya: WSF 2007
      • Liberia
        • Liberia: LGBT+
      • Madagascar
      • Mali
        • Women (Mali)
        • History (Mali)
      • Mauritania
      • Mauritius
        • Women (Mauritius)
      • Mozambique
      • Namibia
      • Niger
        • Niger: Nuclear
      • Nigeria
        • Women (Nigeria)
      • Réunion
      • Rwanda
      • Senegal
        • Women (Senegal)
      • Seychelles
      • Sierra Leone
        • Sierra Leone: LGBT+
      • Somalia
        • Women (Somalia)
      • South Africa
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, South Africa)
        • On the Left (South Africa)
        • Women (South Africa)
        • Culture (South Africa)
        • Ecology, Environment (South Africa)
        • Economy (South Africa)
        • History (Freedom Struggle and first years of ANC government) (South (...)
        • Institutions, laws (South Africa)
        • Labour, community protests (South Africa)
          • Cosatu (South Africa)
          • SAFTU (South Africa)
        • Land reform and rural issues (South Africa)
        • Students (South Africa)
      • South Sudan
      • Sudan
        • Women (Sudan)
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
        • Uganda: LGBT
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Americas
      • Ecology (Latin America)
      • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Latin America)
      • History (Latin America)
      • Indigenous People (Latin America)
      • Latin America (Latin America)
      • LGBT+ (Latin America)
      • Migrations (Latin America)
      • Women (Latin America)
      • Amazonia
      • Antilles / West Indies
      • Argentina
        • Economy (Argentina)
        • History (Argentina)
        • Women (Argentina)
          • Reproductive Rights (Women, Argentina)
      • Bahamas
        • Bahamas: Disasters
      • Bolivia
        • Women (Bolivia)
      • Brazil
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Brazil)
        • Women (Brazil)
        • Ecology (Brazil)
        • History (Brazil)
        • History of the Left (Brazil)
        • Indigenous People (Brazil)
        • Justice, freedoms (Brazil)
        • Labor (Brazil)
        • LGBT+ (Brazil)
        • Rural (Brazil)
        • World Cup, Olympics, social resistances (Brazil)
      • Canada & Quebec
        • Women (Canada & Quebec)
        • Ecology (Canada & Quebec)
        • Far Right / Extreme Right (Canada, Quebec)
        • Fundamentalism & secularism (Canada & Quebec)
        • Health (Canada & Québec)
          • Pandemics, epidemics (Health, Canada & Québec)
        • Indigenous People (Canada & Quebec)
        • LGBT+ (Canada & Quebec)
        • On the Left (Canada & Quebec)
      • Caribbean
      • Chile
        • Women (Chile)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Chile)
        • History (Chile)
        • LGBT+ (Chile)
        • Natural Disasters (Chile)
      • Colombia
        • Women (Colombia)
          • Reproductive Rights (Columbia)
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
        • Women, gender (Cuba)
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Cuba)
        • History (Cuba)
          • Cuban Revolution (History)
        • LGBT+ (Cuba)
      • Ecuador
        • Women (Ecuador)
        • Ecology (Ecuador)
        • Humanitarian Disasters (Ecuador)
      • El Salvador
        • Women (El Salvador)
        • El Salvador: Salvadorian Revolution and Counter-Revolution
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
        • Guatemala: History
        • Guatemala: Mining
        • Guatemala: Women
      • Guiana
      • Haiti
        • Women (Haiti)
        • Haiti: History
        • Haiti: Natural Disasters
      • Honduras
        • Women (Honduras)
        • Honduras: History
        • Honduras: LGBT+
      • Mexico
        • Women (Mexico)
        • Disasters (Mexico)
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Mexico)
        • History of people struggles (Mexico)
      • Nicaragua
        • Women (Nicaragua)
        • Nicaragua: History
        • Nicaragua: Nicaraguan Revolution
      • Paraguay
        • Women (Paraguay)
      • Peru
      • Puerto Rico
        • Disasters (Puerto Rico)
      • Uruguay
        • Women (Uruguay)
      • USA
        • Women (USA)
          • History (Feminism, USA)
          • Reproductive Rights (Women, USA)
          • Violence (women, USA)
        • Disasters (USA)
        • Far Right, Religious Right (USA)
        • Health (USA)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, USA)
        • On the Left (USA)
          • History: SWP and before (USA)
        • Secularity, religion & politics
        • Social Struggles, labor (USA)
          • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Social struggles, USA)
        • Agriculture (USA)
        • Ecology (USA)
        • Economy, social (USA)
        • Education (USA)
        • Energy (USA)
        • Foreign Policy, Military (USA)
        • History (USA)
          • History of people’s struggles (USA)
        • Human Rights, justice (USA)
        • Human Rights: Guantanamo (USA)
        • Human Rights: Incarceration (USA)
        • Institutions, political regime (USA)
        • LGBT+ (USA)
        • Migrant, refugee (USA)
        • Racism (USA)
          • Asians (racism, USA)
          • Blacks (racism, USA)
        • Violences (USA)
      • Venezuela
        • Women (Venezuela)
        • Ecology (Venezuela)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Venezuela)
    • Asia
      • Disasters (Asia)
      • Ecology (Asia)
      • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Asia)
      • History
      • Women (Asia)
      • Asia (Central, ex-USSR)
        • Kazakhstan
        • Kyrgyzstan
          • Kyrgyzstan: Women
        • Tajikistan
        • Uzbekistan
      • Asia (East & North-East)
      • Asia (South, SAARC)
        • Ecology (South Asia)
          • Climate (ecology, South Asia)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, South Asia)
        • LGBT+ (South Asia)
        • Religious fundamentalism
        • Women (South Asia)
      • Asia (Southeast, ASEAN)
        • Health (South East Asia, ASEAN)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, South East Asia, ASEAN))
      • Asia economy & social
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Asia)
      • Economy (Asia)
      • On the Left (Asia)
      • Afghanistan
        • Women, patriarchy, sharia (Afghanistan)
        • History, society (Afghanistan)
        • On the Left (Afghanistan)
      • Bangladesh
        • Health (Bangladesh)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Bangladesh)
        • Ecological Disasters, climate (Bangladesh)
        • Fundamentalism & secularism (Bangladesh)
        • The Left (Bangladesh)
        • Women (Bangladesh)
        • Economy (Bangladesh)
        • History (Bangladesh)
        • Human Rights (Bangladesh)
        • Indigenous People (Bangladesh)
        • Labour (Bangladesh)
          • Industrial Disasters (Bangladesh)
        • LGBT+ (Bangladesh)
        • Nuclear (Bangladesh)
        • Rohingya (refugee, Bangladesh)
        • Rural & Fisherfolk (Bangladesh)
      • Bhutan
        • LGT+ (Bhutan)
      • Brunei
        • Women, LGBT+, Sharia, (Brunei)
      • Burma / Myanmar
        • Arakan / Rakine (Burma)
          • Rohingyas (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Buddhism / Sanga
        • CSOs (Burma / Mynamar)
        • Health (Burma / Myanmar)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Burma/Myanmar)
        • History (Burma/Myanmar)
          • History of struggles (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Labor (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Migrants (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Natural Disasters (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Women (Burma/Myanmar)
      • Cambodia
        • Women (Cambodia)
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Cambodia)
        • History (Cambodia)
          • The Khmers rouges (Cambodia)
        • Labour / Labor (Cambodia)
        • Rural (Cambodia)
        • Urban (Cambodia)
      • China (PRC)
        • Health (China)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, China)
        • China Today
        • Gender equality and women’s movements (China)
        • Global Rise (China)
          • China & Japan
          • China & Latin America
          • China & North America
          • China & South Asia
          • China and Africa
          • China and Europe
            • China and the Russian War in Ukraine
          • China § Asia-Pacific
          • China, ASEAN and the South China Sea
          • China, Korea, & North-East Asia
          • Military expansion (China)
          • Silk Roads/OBOR/BRICS (China)
          • World Economy (China)
        • On the Left (China)
        • Political situation (China)
        • China § Xinjiang/East Turkestan
        • Civil Society (China)
        • Ecology and environmental struggles (China)
        • Economy, technology (China)
        • History (China)
          • Beijing Summer Olympic Games 2008
          • History pre-XXth Century (China)
          • History XXth Century (China)
          • History: Transition to capitalism (China)
        • Human Rights, freedoms (China)
        • Labour and social struggles (China)
        • LGBT+ (China)
        • Rural poverty and struggles (China)
        • Social Control, social credit (China)
        • Social Protection (China)
        • Sport and politics (China)
          • Beijing Olympic Games
      • China: Hong Kong SAR
        • Hong Kong: Epidemics, pandemics (health)
        • Hong Kong: LGBT+
        • Hong Kong: Migrants
      • China: Macao SAR
      • East Timor
        • East Timor: News Updates
      • India
        • Political situation (India)
        • Caste, Dalits & Adivasis (India)
          • Dalits & Other Backward Castes (OBC) (India)
        • Fundamentalism, communalism, extreme right, secularism (India)
        • Health (India)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, India)
        • North-East (India)
        • The Left (India)
          • Stan Swamy (India)
          • The Left: ML Updates (DISCONTINUED) (India)
          • Trupti Shah (obituary) (India)
        • Women (India)
        • Antiwar & nuclear (India)
        • Digital Rights (India)
        • Ecology & Industrial Disasters (India)
        • Economy & Globalisation (India)
        • Energy, nuclear (India)
        • History (up to 1947) (India)
          • Baghat Singh (India)
        • History after 1947 (India)
        • Human Rights & Freedoms (India)
        • International Relations (India)
        • Labor, wage earners, TUs (India)
        • LGBT+ (India)
        • Military (India)
        • Narmada (India)
        • Natural Disaster (India)
        • Refugees (India)
        • Regional Politics (South Asia) (India)
        • Rural & fisherfolk (India)
        • Social Forums (India)
        • Social Protection (India)
        • Urban (India)
      • Indonesia & West Papua
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Indonesia)
        • Papua (Indonesia)
          • Pandemics, epidemics (health, West Papua)
        • The Left (Indonesia)
        • Women (Indonesia)
        • Common Goods (Indonesia)
        • Ecology (Indonesia)
        • Economy (Indonesia)
        • Fundamentalism, sharia, religion (Indonesia)
        • History before 1965 (Indonesia)
        • History from 1945 (Indonesia)
        • History: 1965 and after (Indonesia)
        • Human Rights (Indonesia)
          • MUNIR Said Thalib (Indonesia)
        • Indigenous People (Indonesia)
        • Indonesia / East Timor News Digests DISCONTINUED
          • Indonesia Roundup DISCONTINUED
        • Labor, urban poor (Indonesia)
        • LGBT+ (Indonesia)
        • Natural Disaster (Indonesia)
        • Rural & fisherfolk (Indonesia)
        • Student, youth (Indonesia)
        • Urban Poor (Indonesia)
      • Japan
        • Political situation (Japan)
        • Health (Japan)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Japan)
        • Okinawa (Japan)
        • Women (Japan)
        • Anti-war movement (Japan)
        • Disasters (Japan)
        • Ecology (Japan)
        • Economy (Japan)
        • Energy, nuclear (Japan)
          • History (nuclear, Japan)
        • History (Japan)
          • History of people’s struggles (Japan)
        • Human Rights (Japan)
        • Institutions (Japan)
        • International Relations (Japan)
        • Labor, TUs & the Left (Japan)
        • LGBT+ (Japan)
        • Migrants, Racism (Japan)
        • Military, Nuclear weapon (Japan)
        • Tokyo Olympics
      • Kashmir (India, Pakistan)
        • Kashmir: Pakistan
        • Kashmir: K&J, India
      • Korea
        • Antiwar, military bases (Korea)
        • History (Korea)
        • Korean Crisis (Geopolitics)
        • North Korea
          • Pandemics, epidemics (North Korea)
        • South Korea
          • Epidemics (health, South Korea)
          • Women (South Korea)
          • Ecology, common goods (South Korea)
          • Free Trade, FTA & WTO (South Korea)
          • Labor & co. (South Korea)
          • LGBT+ (South Korea)
          • Migrant (South Korea)
          • Nuclear (South Korea)
          • Rural & fisherfolk (South Korea)
          • The Left (South Korea)
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
        • Women, family (Malaysia)
        • Clean elections, clean government! (Malaysia)
        • Ecology (Malaysia)
        • Health ( Malaysia)
          • Malaysia: Epidemics, pandemics (health, Malaysia)
        • History (Malaysia)
        • Labor, TUs & people’s movements (Malaysia)
        • LGBT+ (Malaysia)
        • Malaysian international solidarity initiatives
        • Migrant, Refugee (Malaysia)
        • Religion, law, fundamentalism (Malaysia)
        • The Left (Malaysia)
          • The Left: PSM (Malaysia)
      • Maldives
      • Mongolia
      • Nepal
        • Women (Nepal)
        • Background articles (Nepal)
        • Ecology, Climate (Nepal)
        • Humanitarian Disasters (Nepal)
        • Rural (Nepal)
      • Pakistan
        • Balochistan (Pakistan)
        • Gilgit Baltistan (Pakistan)
          • Baba Jan (Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan)
        • Health (Pakistan)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Pakistan)
        • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP - Pakistan)
        • Labor & Women (Pakistan)
        • Women, fundamentalism (Pakistan)
        • China & CPEC (Pakistan)
        • Ecology, Nuclear (Pakistan)
        • Economy (Pakistan)
        • Fundamentalism, Taliban (Pakistan)
        • History (Pakistan)
        • Human Rights & religious violence (Pakistan)
        • Human Rights (Pakistan)
        • Labor & TUs (Pakistan)
        • LGBT+ (Pakistan)
        • Natural Disasters (Pakistan)
        • Nuclear Capabilities (Pakistan)
        • Nuclear, antiwar, solidarity (Pakistan)
        • Regional Politics (Pakistan)
        • Rural & fisherfolk (Pakistan)
        • Social Forum (Pakistan)
        • Student, youth (Pakistan)
        • The Left (Pakistan)
          • AWP (The Left, Pakistan)
          • LPP (The Left, Pakistan)
          • The Struggle (The Left, Pakistan)
        • Urban (Pakistan)
      • Philippines
        • Political Situation
        • Health (Philippines)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Philippines)
        • Mindanao (Philippines)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Mindanao)
          • Bangsamoro Political Entity (Mindanao)
            • Moros Movements (history, Mindanao)
          • Clans & violence (Mindanao)
          • Climate (Mindanao)
          • Economy, social (Mindanao)
          • Humanitarian Disasters (Mindanao)
          • Lumad (Mindanao)
          • Peace process (Mindanao)
          • Secular, Politics & Churches (Mindanao)
        • The Left (Philippines)
          • CPP (killings) (Philippines)
          • CPP (Purges) (Philippines)
          • History (The Left, Philippines)
          • The Left and self-determination (Mindanao)
        • Women (Philippines)
          • History (women, Philippines)
          • Prostitution (Philippines)
          • Reproductive Rights (Philippines)
        • Antiwar, International Solidarity (Philippines)
        • Debt, poverty, Common Goods (Philippines)
        • Disasters (Philippines)
        • Ecology (Philippines)
        • Economy & trade, social (Philippines)
        • Education (Philippines)
        • Geopolitics and international relations (Philippines)
        • History, society, culture (Philippines)
        • Human Rights (Philippines)
        • Labor (Philippines)
          • Migrant, Migration (labor, Philippines)
        • LGBT+ (Philippines)
        • Military policy (Philippines)
        • Nuclear (Philippines)
        • Rural (Philippines)
        • Urban (Philippines)
      • Singapore
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (Singapore, health)
        • LGBT+ (Singapore)
        • Migrant workers (Singapore)
      • Sri Lanka
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Sri Lanka)
        • The left (Sri Lanka)
          • History (The Left, Sri Lanka)
            • Bala Tampoe
            • Linus Jayatilake
            • Santasilan Kadirgamar
            • Upali Cooray
          • Left Voice / Wame Handa (The Left, Sri Lanka)
          • NSSP-NLF (The Left, Sri Lanka)
          • Working People Party (Sri Lanka)
        • Women (Sri Lanka)
        • Aid, humanitarian crisis (Sri Lanka)
        • Economy (Sri Lanka)
        • Fundamentalism, Religious violences (Sri Lanka)
        • History (Sri Lanka)
          • History (after independence, Sri Lanka)
          • History (Ceylon before independence)
        • Labor & TUs (Sri Lanka)
        • LGBT+ (Sri Lanka)
        • Muslims (Sri Lanka)
        • Rural (Sri Lanka)
        • Tamils (Sri Lanka)
      • Taiwan
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Taiwan)
        • International Relations (Taiwan)
        • LGBT+ (Taiwan)
        • Migrants (Taiwan)
        • Regional Tensions (Taiwan)
      • Thailand
        • Health (Thailand)
          • Pandemics (health, Thailand)
        • On the Left (Thailand)
        • Regime, society (Thailand)
        • Women (Thailand)
        • Culture, society (Thailand)
        • Deep South (Thailand)
        • Disasters (Thailand)
        • Ecology, climate (Thailand)
        • Economy (Thailand)
        • Géopolitics (Regional) (Thailand)
        • History (Thailand)
          • History of people’s struggles (Thailand)
        • Human Rights, law, justice (Thailand)
        • Labor (Thailand)
        • LGBT+ (Thailand)
        • Migrants, refugees (Thailand)
        • Rural (Thailand)
      • Tibet
      • Vietnam & Indochina
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Vietnam)
        • Human Rights & Freedoms (Vietnam)
        • Women (Vietnam)
        • Chemical War, Agent Orange (Vietnam & Indochina)
        • Ecology (Vietnam)
        • Géopolitics (regional) (Vietnam)
        • History and debates (Vietnam & Indochina)
        • In the capitalist transition (Vietnam)
        • LGBT+ (Vietnam)
        • Rural (Vietnam)
        • Social Movements, Labour (Vietnam)
        • The solidarity movements (Vietnam & Indochina)
    • Europe, Great Britain
      • European Geopolitics
      • European Union
        • Catalonia crisis (EU)
        • Constitution, history & crisis (EU)
        • Countries (EU & co.)
          • Health (countries, EU)
            • Epidemics, pandemics (health, EU)
          • LGBT+ (countries, Europe)
          • Racism, xenophobia (countries, EU)
        • Health (EU)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, EU)
        • Institutions, regime (EU)
        • Agriculture (EU)
          • GMO (EU)
        • Economy, social (EU)
        • Education & youth (EU)
        • Energy, nuclear (EU)
        • Environment (EU)
          • Biodiversity (EU)
          • Climate (EU)
        • External Relations (EU)
          • Europe-Africa Relations (EU)
          • Europe-Asia Relations (EU)
          • Europe-Latin America relations (EU)
          • Europe-Mediterranean Relations (EU)
          • Europe-North America Relations (EU)
        • Housing (EU)
        • LGBT+ (EU)
        • Migration (EU)
        • Military (EU)
        • Public Services (EU)
        • Transport (EU)
      • Which Europe?
      • Women (Europe)
        • Debt (women, Europe)
        • History (women, Europe)
        • Reproductive Rights (Europe)
        • Violence against women (Europe)
        • Women & work (Europe)
      • Fascism, extreme right, fundamentalism (Europe)
      • History (modern) (Europe)
      • History (pre-modern) (Europe)
      • Migrants, refugees, racism (Europe)
      • On the Left (Europe)
        • Left, epidemics, health (Europe)
        • EACL, European conferences
        • History of people’s struggles (Europe)
        • History of the Left (Europe, out of France and Britain)
        • Project K (Europe)
        • The European Left Party (Europe)
      • Racism (Europe)
      • Religion, churches, secularity (Europe)
      • Social movements, labour (Europe)
        • EU: Car Industry
        • EU: Pensions
        • Housing (Europe)
      • War and militarism
      • Balkans
        • Women (Balkans)
        • Balkans: Yugoslav Crisis in the 1990s
      • France
        • Political situation and debates (France)
        • Health (France)
          • Epidemics, pandemics, (health, France)
        • The Left (France)
        • Ecology (France)
          • Energy (France)
          • Nuclear (France)
        • Ecology: Parc des Beaumonts (France)
          • France: Ornithology: from elsewhere
          • France: Ornithology: log
          • France: Ornithology: reports
        • Education (France)
        • Far Rigth, Extreme Right (France)
        • French Imperialism, international relations (France)
          • Armament, nuclear (France)
          • France & the Middle-East & Mediterranean
          • France: France-Asia Relations
          • Franco-African Relations (France)
          • Relations France – LA/Carribean (France)
        • History & Memory (France)
        • Human Rights Freedoms (France)
          • Terrorism (Human Rights, France)
        • LGBT+ (France)
        • Migrant, Refugee, Migration (France)
        • Military (France)
        • Political regime, parties, ideologies (France)
        • Racism (France)
        • Social Movements, economy and labor (France)
        • Women (France)
      • Great Britain & Northern Ireland (Europe)
        • Health (UK)
          • Epidemics (health, UK)
        • North of Ireland (UK)
        • Scotland
          • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Scotland)
        • Wales
        • Women (UK)
        • Brexit (UK)
        • Education (UK)
        • Environment (UK)
        • Extreme right / Fascism (Britain)
        • History (UK)
        • Human Rights and Freedoms
        • LGBT+ (UK)
        • Media (UK)
        • Migrants - refugees, racism (UK)
        • Monarchy (UK)
        • On the Left (UK)
        • Racism, xenophobia (UK)
          • Blacks / Black people/African diaspora (UK)
          • Chinese (UK)
          • Jew (UK)
          • Muslims (Racism, Britain)
        • Secularism (UK)
      • Humanitarian Disasters (Europe)
      • Russia & Eastern Europe
        • Economy (Eastern Europe)
        • Belarus / Belarusia
        • Moldava
        • Russia
          • Social and labour resistance in Russia
          • Economy
          • LGBT+ (Russia)
          • On the left (Russia)
          • Women (Russia)
        • South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Karabakh)
          • South Caucasus: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
        • Ukraine
          • Far right (Ukraine)
          • History (Ukraine)
          • Labour (Ukraine)
          • LGBT+ (Ukraine)
          • On the left (Ukraine)
          • Women (Ukraine)
        • USSR, Soviet Bloc, Russian Empire (history)
          • History (USSR)
            • Russian Revolution
          • Transition to capitalism in USSR and Eastern Europe
          • Women (Soviet Bloc)
      • Turkey
        • Kurdistan (Turkey)
        • Women (Turkey)
        • Economy, social (Turkey)
        • History, society (Turkey)
        • Islamism (Turkey)
        • LGBT+ (Turkey)
        • Turkey: Migrants
    • Middle East & N. Africa
      • Women (MENA)
      • MENA: Ecology
      • MENA: Labour
      • MENA: LGBT+
      • MENA: The region
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, MENA)
      • Algeria
        • Women (Algeria)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Algeria)
        • History (Algeria)
          • History: 1945-1962 (Algeria)
          • History: post-1962 (Algeria)
      • Bahrain
      • Egypt
        • Women (Egypt)
        • Egypt: Economy
        • Egypt: Fundamentalism, secular
        • Egypt: History
        • Egypt: Labor
        • Egypt: LGBT+
        • Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood, Islamism
        • Egypt: On the Left
      • Iran
        • Women (Iran)
        • “Khiaban” and other bulletins (Iran)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Iran)
        • History (Iran)
          • History of people’s struggles (Iran)
          • History, society, regime (Iran)
        • LGBT + (Iran)
        • Religion, secular (Iran)
      • Iraq
        • Women (Iraq)
        • Kurdistan in Iraq
        • LGBT+ (Iraq)
        • The Left (Iraq)
      • Jordan
        • Women (Jordan)
        • Education Sector (Jordan)
      • Kuwait
      • Lebanon
        • Women (Lebanon)
        • Industrial Disasters
        • Labour (Lebanon)
        • LGBT (Lebanon)
      • Libya
        • Women (Libya)
        • Libya: LGBT+
        • Libya: Society, history
      • Morocco & Western Sahara
        • Western Sahara
        • Women (Morocco)
        • Ecology (Morocco)
        • Human Rights and Freedoms (Morocco)
        • Left forces (Morocco)
        • Rural (Morocco)
        • Society, economy, history (Morocco)
      • Oman
      • Palestine & Israel
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Palestine & Israel)
        • Women (Palestine & Israel)
        • Boycott, Disinvestment, Sanctions: Solidarity (Palestine & (...)
        • Economy (Palestine & Israel)
        • Fundamentalism (Palestine & Israel)
        • History (Palestine & Israel)
        • Human Rights (Palestine & Israel)
        • In Memory (Palestine & Israel)
        • Labor, social movements (Palestine & Israel)
        • Left (Israel)
        • LGBT+ (Palestine & Israel)
        • Military, nuclear (Israel)
        • Movements (Palestine)
        • Society (Palestine & Israel)
      • Qatar (Eng)
        • Football World Cup (Qatar)
      • Saudi Arabia
        • Women (Saudi Arabia)
        • Fundamentalism, sharia (Saudi Arabia)
        • Migrants (Saudi Arabia)
        • Society, history ( (Saudi Arabia))
      • Somalia
      • Syria
        • Kurdistan (Syria)
        • Pandemics (Health, Syria)
        • Women Syria)
        • History, society, culture (Syria)
        • International left (Syria)
        • Secularity (Syria)
      • Tunisia
        • Women (Tunisia)
        • Tunisia: Economy
        • Tunisia: Ennahdha, Islamism
        • Tunisia: LGBT+
        • Tunisia: On the Left
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Yemen
        • Women (Yemen)
    • Polar Regions
      • Antarctica
      • Arctic
    • South Pacific
      • Epidemics, Pandemics (health, South Pacific)
      • Australia
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Australia)
        • Women, (Australia)
        • Australia: History of people’s struggles
        • Australia: Regional Role
        • Disasters - Humanitarian and ecological (Australia)
        • History (Australia)
        • LGBT+ (Australia)
        • Migrant / Migration (Australia)
        • Racism (Australia)
      • Easter Island
      • Fiji
      • Kanaky / New Caledonia
      • Marshall Islands (inc. Bikini Atoll)
      • New Zealand / Aotearoa
        • Women (New Zealand/Aotearoa)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, New Zeland)
        • New Zealand/Aotearoa: Racism
      • Papua New Guinea
        • Papua New Guinea: Epidemics, pandemics (health)
      • Polynesia (French)
      • Solomon Islands
      • Tonga
  • Home
  • English
  • Europe, Great Britain
  • France
  • Political situation and debates (France)
  • Uncertain future: how 2022 parliamentary elections confirmed France’s (...)

FRANCE - ANALYSIS

Uncertain future: how 2022 parliamentary elections confirmed France’s radically different political landscape

All the versions of this article: [English] [français]

Wednesday 22 June 2022, by ESCALONA Fabien

  
  • Législatives 2022 (France)
  • 1981
  • 2017
  • Ensemble (macronistes, France)
  • NUPES (France)
  • LFI (France)
  • Front national / Rassemblement national (FN – RN) (France)
  • MACRON Emmanuel
  • LE PEN Marine
  • MELENCHON Jean-Luc
  • LREM (France)

The outcome of France’s legislative elections on Sunday shows the extent to which the country’s political map has been redrawn in recent years. There are now three main blocs and groups of voters; Emmanuel Macron’s centre-right, the Left and the far-right. But the composition of the new National Assembly, in which Macron’s coalition has the single largest bloc of MPs but lacks an overall majority, raises as many questions as answers about the political future. Fabien Escalona assesses the uncertainties that lie ahead.

  Contents  
  • Crumbling barriers againt (...)
  • The Left and the abstention
  • The Fifth Republic’s system

There is something paradoxical about the election season that has just come to a close in France with the second round of the legislative elections on Sunday June 19th. On the one hand, a phenomenon observed in the first round of the presidential election in April has been confirmed. This is that the old parties of the past, who had dominated French politics from the start of the 1980s to the start of the 2010s, are no longer the ones vying for power at national level. Yes, the Socialist Party (PS) and the rightwing Les Républicains managed to survive the seismic shock of the 2017 elections which saw Emmanuel Macron enter the Élysée and then win a huge Parliamentary majority. But new political forces, or those that had been kept on the margins of power, now dominate the three electoral blocs – Macron’s centre-right, the leftwing NUPES alliance and the far-right - into which France is divided.

On the other hand, there are still several questions that remain unanswered about this new political map. The precise boundaries of these three electoral blocs, the balance of power within them and how they will co-exist within France’s political institutions are all likely to evolve. In the coming years, for example, there could be successors to one or all of the leaders of these three blocs - Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen. The greatest uncertainty of all, of course, stems from the fact that, for the first time since presidential terms were cut from seven to five years two decades ago, a newly-elected president has just lost an overall majority in the National Assembly.

Florent Gougou, a lecturer at Sciences Po Grenoble university in south-east France, uses an historical analogy to assess what has just occurred. “In 1986 we went through the first of [President] François Mitterrand’s cohabitations with the Right,” he said, referring to the period in which because of the balance of power in Parliament the socialist president had to choose a prime minister from the Right. “With hindsight, it was a first step in the consolidation of an electoral order which has been ushered in by the change in 1981 [editor’s note when Mitterrand was elected, and following which the traditional Left and Right alternated in power]. But at the time people didn’t know if this kind of situation was exceptional or was likely to happen again.”

With 246 MPs the presidential Ensemble coalition is 43 seats short of an overall majority in today’s new National Assembly. The origins for this failure lie in a drop in the Ensemble coalition vote in the first round of the election on June 12th. This in turn led to fewer face-to-face duels contested by Macronista candidates in the second round compared with 2017. They paid the price of a mediocre government election campaign but also for the pent-up anger that had built up over five years and which ended up penalising Macron less than his ’rootless’ party.

But the presidential coalition did not just have fewer candidates in the second round than five years ago; those who did go through also faced much stiffer competition from the Left in working class city centre and suburban constituencies in mainland France. Moreover, they were swept aside by sitting Les Républicains MPs who had strong local roots. Indeed, the Macron camp lost three-quarters of its head-to-head contests with candidates from the traditional Right, which now has more than 60 seats in the National Assembly. The ruling coalition also lost nearly half of its duels with candidates from the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).

This shows how candidates from the government’s Ensemble coalition fared in their electoral duels with candidates from other parties. © Tam Kien Duong

Ensemble was not the only coalition to have problems when it came to a duel with the far-right. The broad left and environmental alliance NUPES (Nouvelle Union Populaire Écologique et Sociale) lost a majority of its head-to-head second round contests with the RN. “If these two groups had won their duels in the same proportions as in the old electoral world then Ensemble would not have been far from an outright majority and Jean-Luc Mélenchon would not be seeing his status as the main opposition figure disputed by the RN,” said Florent Gougou.

Yet the sociological background of abstainers – the turnout rate was very low at around 46% of registered voters – did not change markedly. In other words, the RN achieved its historic result of 89 MPs despite a voting system that has always hindered it in legislative elections and despite a pool of voters – those who did actually turn out – which was very different to its main support base. This gives an insight into the far-right’s performance and underlines just how much potential it still has in elections where there is a higher turnout.

Long-term factors have also contributed to this result. Since its revival during the presidency of President Nicolas Sarkozy the RN has continue to increase its electoral audience. The number of MPs it has now just gained reflects the particularly high score that Marine Le Pen achieved in the first round of the presidential vote in April. It is also consistent with the second round of that same election, too, when she managed to poll higher than her victorious opponent Emmanuel Macron in 158 of the country’s 577 constituencies.

The RN has become particularly strong in certain areas, with some entire départements or counties electing their MPs just from this party: the Haute-Marne and Haute-Saône in the north-east, and Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales in the south.

 Crumbling barriers againt the far-right

Some more short-term factors were also at play in the RN’s strong performance. “Part of the RN’s score was decided between the two rounds of voting [editor’s note, between June 12th and 19th],” said political specialist Vincent Tiberj, referring to the language used by the presidential camp, who had equated the RN and NUPES, labelling them both as “extreme”.

“The government had reused rhetoric employed by Jean-François Cope and Laurent Wauquiez [editor’s note, both from the traditional Right and now both members of Les Républicains] in the years 2000 to 2010,” said Professor Tiberj from Sciences Po Bordeaux university, who thinks Ensemble voters were thus strongly dissuaded from turning out to support NUPES candidates when they were in a head-to-head duel with a far-right candidate.

The converse is also true. Having been a major factor in the ’Republican Front’ that blocked Marine Le Pen from winning the second round of the presidential election in April, voters on the Left equally chose not to turn out in those seats where Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble candidates were in a duel with the RN. The violence of the government’s speech against the Left - as well as the feeling that one MP either way would not change things - hardly encouraged leftwing voters to turn out to block the far right a second time.

In fact, in the many constituencies where the RN won against NUPES or Ensemble candidates there was a noticeable rise in the abstention rate and an increase in the number of spoilt or blank ballot papers, while some votes were given to the NUPES or Ensemble candidate’s opponent.

In other words, in this new tripolar political world, not only do the elites from each of the three sides speak harshly about the two others, the voters themselves often follow them down this path of polarisation. Based on an Ipsos poll carried out for the second round vote, the polling firm’s research director Mathieu Gallard said that “seven NUPES voters out of ten didn’t make a choice if the RN were present, just like seven Ensemble voters out of ten”.

How the far-right Rassemblement National fared in its head-to-head duels in the second round of the legislative election. © Tam Kien Duong

In the old bipolar political world between socialists and post-Gaullists, the “parties of government fought each other but were capable of working together and in the end they showed they could agree on a certain number of things, in particular supporting neo-liberal globalisation,” said Florent Gougou. In a way, their voters found a form of common ground in their rejection of the RN.

Now, however, ideological and sociological differences between all the blocs are very marked and their supporters tend to see the others as enemies rather than simply as opponents. It was Vincent Tiberj who put forward this distinction, in his contribution to a collective work, to differentiate between “parties on the other side to whom the individual is opposed but with whom he accepts he shares certain values” and those that are parties of the “enemy, who is outside of what each individual defines as acceptable in terms of their standard preferences”.

We are still only speaking here of just a half of all registered voters who felt involved in this vote. Vincent Tiberj points to the discontent shown by a large section of other citizens towards politics, suggesting they could in turn one day destabilise the new political balance we have now. “With each passing generation there are more and more citizens who feel unhappy and removed from what’s going on, who are not just ’critical’,” he said. “And this won’t go away, especially if they are faced with parties who are less and less present on the ground.” If this is true, then the foundations of the new tripolarisation could themselves be somewhat “shaky”.

 The Left and the abstention problem

The leftwing coalition is one of the groups most affected by this low turnout, as shown by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s concern about the issue on the night of the second round. In fact, more than two thirds of voters aged 18 to 34 – who are strongly pro-NUPES when they do vote – did not show up for Sunday’s second round. NUPES also has some of its strongest support among people in mid-ranking professions and among employees, who are also more likely on average to abstain.

How can one explain this low turnout, even though this legislative election seemed far more hotly-contested than any since 2002, and when even the issue of climate change cropped up at the end thanks to what appeared to be a very “political” heatwave in which France sweltered? Once again, any short-term reason to vote was offset by more powerful longer-term trends. Anyone under the age of 34 has, ever since their adolescence or childhood, only known a system that was made more favourable for a presidential style of government in 2002. That was when legislative elections started to be held immediately after presidential ones. This reduced the parliamentary polls to a secondary status, as they effectively just rubber-stamped a parliamentary majority for the newly-elected head of state.

“I’m convinced that there’s a problem about understanding the political system, especially among young voters,” said Camille Bedock, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). “To position yourself in relation to the Right or Left is one thing, but there can be a kind of institutional short-sightedness among those who are only interested in the presidential election, turning the legislatives into a niche election which is only for those who are most into politics and for those taking part.”

She also adds other factors that relate to the appeal of politics or lack of it: candidates who are little-known locally and have few local roots, attempts to dramatise the stakes which failed to capture the imagination and, more broadly, the lack of quality in an election campaign which it cannot be said was the centre of media attention. On that point, noted Vincent Tiberj, the “media habits of the youngest are quite fractured, there’s a real difficulty in reaching them and getting them mobilised”.

For the Left, whose NUPES alliance enabled them to win significantly more seats than in 2017 though not more votes, the generational change is double-edged. While it is supposed to benefit the Left, it also fuels low-turnout and the RN vote (both tendencies being less common among older voters). As it is, NUPES lost the majority of its head-to-head duels in all the different configurations. It won enough to reach a level of representation in the National Assembly which is close to that which it achieved in 2002 – a time which is not much discussed on the Left, as its candidate Lionel Jospin had been knocked out in the first round of the presidential election that year. But it lost too many of these duels to enable it to threaten Ensemble and stop the latter from becoming the biggest single party. This is despite the fact that the two groups were neck-and-neck in the popular vote in the first round of the election.

You could argue that what this is really about is the unfairness of a voting system that takes place over two rounds, and that proportional representation would not distort the leftwing vote as much (nor the RN vote either). But that still leaves the difficulty of how to enlarge the Left’s base support in the existing system.

“To change the balance of power the most effective way is to impose your own themes on the agenda of electoral competitors,” said Florent Gougou. “That would allow you to turn the tables and drag some social groups away from their initial preferences.”

 The Fifth Republic’s system ’breaking down’

In the meantime, the 2022 election season has come to an end with a sense that the government is in gridlock. The almost ’automatic’ outright Parliamentary majority that the newly-elected president has consistently won for the last 20 years was thwarted this time. The result is “one of the most representative Assemblies we’ve had for a long time” said Ipsos’s Mathieu Gallard.

The problem of this current situation is not in itself that it obliges the winning camp to reach a compromise with others. This is, after all, the norm in other European democracies and the situation has already occurred in France – a few times under the current presidential Fifth Republic established in 1958, and as a matter of course before that under previous parliamentary regimes. The problem is that since 2002 the institutional dynamic to which France’s political leaders have become accustomed has been very different.

“The Fifth Republic has changed in the sense of becoming more presidential since the 2000s,” said Camille Bedock. “But today the system is breaking down. Its initial premises, such as the fact that a two-round legislative election bars the doors of the Assembly to the far-right, no longer exist. Its sole good point, which was rock solid stability at the expense of being representative, can no longer be invoked.”

In theory, a government coalition between Ensemble and Les Républicains would be the most logical outcome of this situation. But at this stage the government does not seem ready to compromise on its political direction in order to attract the lasting support of other political groups. And ranged against them, all the other groups want to stay in opposition. “The culture of coalition and negotiation is absent from the ranks of the current political classes,” said Camille Bedock. “But the situation is also not very favourable to any agreement.”

In fact, we come back to the polarisation between the three blocs that have formed in this new electoral landscape. Even in countries which are more parliamentary in nature this kind of situation, with the emergence of new parties and a massive polarisation between the major political forces, can cause difficulties. “That’s what happened in Italy in 2013 and it required several years of a ’waiting period’ and adjustments in behaviour by the political participants for it to be resolved,” said Camille Bedock.

It remains to be seen whether France’s political leaders will themselves “adjust” their behaviour, and if the issue of institutional rules will raise its head because of the potential impasse in terms of reaching agreements. That is the uncertain dimension of the political landscape that has emerged since 2017; its full nature and internal logic will only become clear in the fullness of time.

FABIEN ESCALONA


P.S.

• Mediapart. JUNE 22, 2022:
https://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/france/220622/uncertain-future-how-2022-elections-confirmed-frances-radically-different-political-landscape

•

English version by Michael Streeter

  • The original French version of this article can be found here.
Copyright
  • Newsletter
  • Search by keyword
  • Search by author
  • Links

Also in this section

  • Parliamentary elections (France): How Macron became the far-right’s useful idiot
  • Uncertain future: how 2022 parliamentary elections confirmed France’s radically different political landscape
  • Parliamentary elections (France) - Defeat for Macron, breakthrough for the far right: a fighting left is necessary and possible!
  • Parliamentary elections: How France’s Left Took Macron’s Majority
  • French parliamentary elections: Macron’s regime in disarray
  • Parliament: Setback for Macron in ‘third round’ of French elections
  • Parliamentary Elections (France): For a general mobilization to beat Macron by voting NUPES
  • Parliamentary elections (France): A Mélenchon Government Would Shake the Foundations of Neoliberalism in Europe
  • Parliamentary elections (France): Support for the NUPES radical candidates, independent candidacies
  • Parliamentary Elections (France): “The priority is to win against Macron’s candidate, but also against the PS candidate, who broke the agreement here“

1996-2022  — Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières
What about us ? | Site Map | Credits | Log in |  RSS 2.0 | Twitter | Facebook | Contact

SPIP