Jean-Luc Mélenchon does not rule out succeeding Gabriel Attal at Matignon. The leader of La France insoumise said on Wednesday evening that he felt “capable” of being Prime Minister of a left-wing government in the event of victory for the new “Popular Front” in the early legislative elections. Aware that this idea was far from unanimous among his allies, he nevertheless called for “waiting” for the result of the elections.
“I know what my contribution is to the life of the left. I say the following: we are going to stick to the formula proposed by Olivier Faure, it is the most important parliamentary group which proposes a Prime Minister,” the three-time presidential candidate delayed on France 2.
“I don’t impose myself”
“I am not eliminating myself but I am not imposing myself,” also clarified the founder of La France insoumise, who, with his 22% in the presidential election, had applied for the post of Prime Minister in 2022 at the time of the legislative elections, pushed by the Nupes alliance. “We were coming out of the presidential election. I announced this while the other two (Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen) were having their debate and we almost all agreed because that was the atmosphere at that time. Now it’s something else, we have to take it into account,” he said.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon also praised the speed of the “Popular Front” negotiations and the abandonment of “grudges” between the left-wing partners, who had maintained conflicting relations since the end of the Nupes. “We had to rise to the occasion,” the possibility that the far right would come to power next month, he said.
The goal of retirement at “60”
Regarding pension reform, which all left-wing parties want to repeal, Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared that there was a “60-year objective”. “You can’t decide that overnight. We have to go back to the Assembly, so we need a roadmap,” he explained, while during the European elections, LFI made the “right to retire at 60 at full rate for all” a condition. sine qua non of the union of the left.
Since the start of negotiations, the new allies of La France insoumise, such as socialist and communist leaders Olivier Faure and Fabien Roussel, have said that they do not want Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister.