Jean-Luc Mélenchon intends to focus this Sunday morning, for his back-to-school meeting at the summer lecture halls of rebellious France in the Drôme, on the challenge of fetching non-voters in order to give himself a chance to win the presidential election. from 2022.
On the stage installed in front of the lake of Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, the Insoumis will reconnect with the great political masses which he likes and which he knows more rare in times of Covid. But in addition to having to deal with a campaign under a health bubble, LFI will have to fight against the tide against abstention, which climbed in the last two interim elections and threatens the presidential election.
Temptation to abstain
However, the Insubordinate electorate of 2017, which reached 19.58% of the vote, is partly made up of the popular classes, more inclined than others to abstain. “If they are going to vote, we are in the second round. If they are not going to vote… ”Jean-Luc Mélenchon whispered to the press on Saturday, before pouting. “We will tell them: ‘We are on your side, if in 2017 you had gone to the polling stations more, we would not be there,'” he said.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon did not hide that the election would be a “crest path”, while “the popular bloc is fractured, between pro and anti-pass health, pro and anti-vaccines”. And aware of his divisive personality, conducive to media controversy, Jean-Luc Mélenchon promised that he “would take some distance”: “It is an election for people with strong nerves”.
The voluntary cleavage
Its campaign manager Manuel Bompard estimated, survey commissioned by LFI in support, that the measures of the program L’Avenir en commun could achieve a broad consensus. But he conceded that turning this capital into a voice would be difficult: “It’s politics, people can agree with your proposals, but wonder if we can really implement them, if we are going to win, if we are not going to betray them … “
The rebels assume to alienate part of the electorate, explained the MEP: “That Mélenchon is divisive, in our vocabulary, it is positive. For the urbanized middle classes, it can certainly be scary… (…) But a part of the middle classes has become radicalized ”, like the“ yellow vests ”. The rebels pretend to focus on their corridor on the left, while environmentalists are busy in their primary until September and at PS Anne Hidalgo maintains the suspense on her date of candidacy.
The important thing is to move forward
“We are going to move forward, while the others are debating among themselves and have not come out of the rut”, savors Eric Coquerel, another close to Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The deputy concedes, however, that “the political atmosphere is security, immigration, identity”, not very promising themes for the rebels. LFI has also aged, in an opposition mandate. As with other political forces, its logo disappeared from campaign posters in favor of the slogan “Popular Union”.
Nevertheless, the deputy Alexis Corbière relies on the experience of the two previous campaigns of Jean-Luc Mélenchon: “I do not believe in this story of novelty. We will never do more new in terms of image than Macron, and we see what it has given. On the other hand, people want change ”on the merits. Philosopher, he resolves to a hard campaign: “It is not won … but it is not lost either”.