On Monday, Jean-Luc Mélenchon officially launched the “parliament of the New Popular Ecological and Social Union” (Nupes). “Parliament is a necessity,” he said to a party of 500 members of this parliament gathered at La Fabrique in Paris. “It is impossible to change society as fundamentally as we have the ambition without a mass popular involvement”, hammered the former rebellious presidential candidate.
It is intended to be an extension of the space for discussion on strategy and the program that was already the “Parliament of the popular union” during the presidential election. Its president Aurélie Trouvou, former Attac, will continue to hold the reins.
“Constructive and insolent towards power”
While Jean-Luc Mélenchon considers this parliament essential to the success of the government, if he becomes Prime Minister, he nevertheless reminded before his coalition partners, the socialist leaders Olivier Faure, ecologist Julien Bayou and communist Ian Brossat, that the ” sustainability” of this parliament was “not guaranteed”.
“I hope with all my might that the (parliament) continues”, be “constructive and insolent towards power even if it is we who exercise it”, confided Jean-Luc Mélenchon. According to polls, the Nupes would become the second formation in the National Assembly with between 165 and 195 seats.
The parliament, which until then had some 300 members, was enlarged to 500 participants, half from the parties, the other from trade unions, NGOs or artistic and academic life: the historian Laurence de Cock , the former general rapporteur of the Observatory of secularism Nicolas Cadène, the president of the association “Better vote” Chloé Ridel or the co-director of the LGBT + Observatory.