Former French president Hollande snubs alliance with hard left

For parties on the left of French politics, all eyes are on the upcoming legislative elections – where many are hoping a united front will rob President Emmanuel Macron of any chance of a parliamentary majority. Following talks between the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) and the Socialist Party (PS), however, former president Francois Hollande has ruled out his own involvement in any coalition deal.

Former French president Francois Hollande after casting his ballot for the second round of the presidential elections on Sunday, 24 April. AFP - PASCAL LACHENAUD

The one-time Socialist leader told France Info radio Tuesday he would not run on a ticket under the so-called Popular Union being pushed by LFI kingmaker Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came a close third in the presidential elections.

“Yes I exclude this possibility“ Hollande said of the rumours – however he did not shut down the possibility of running for parliament as a candidate of the Socialists, who were all but annihilated in last Sunday’s vote.

He criticised the PS – who still have a well-established local power base – for their lack of leadership over the past five years.

“The PS should have done programmatic work, social work and work with the younger generation. This has not been done,” Hollande said.

François Hollande pointe le "défaut d'incarnation" du PS, critique à peine voilée envers Olivier Faure.https://t.co/QIgzZu8vzo pic.twitter.com/OjvfaU0coB

— franceinfo (@franceinfo) April 28, 2022

The former head of state clarified that his comments were not aimed at Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who ran on the PS ticket for the presidential election, but at those at the helm of the party.

As Mélenchon courts the Socialists to join his left-wing alliance, Hollande warned the party risked "disappearing" in the event of an electoral agreement that he said challenged the PS’s very foundations.

Power play

Meanwhile other parties to the left of Macron’s La Republique en Marche (LREM) were this week considering their role in a coalition that Mélenchon hopes will force a power-sharing government. 

All 577 deputy seats in the lower house will be up for grabs on 12 and 19 June, with LREM likely to meet stiff resistance. 

The legislative vote will be key to determining the shape of France’s new government, and how much of Macron’s agenda he’ll be able to push through parliament.

Shortly after Macron beat Le Pen to win the presidency, two independent polls found that two-thirds of French people do not want to give LREM a parliament majority for the next five years.

Also read:

• Clock ticking as French left mulls coalition deal to humble Macron
• France’s largest trade union exhorts Macron to consult civil society to build next term