How do left-wing supporters approach the period between the two rounds of legislative elections? Do they have hope of winning the victory? In the Nièvre department, their determination remains strong to counter the advance of the National Rally.
Franceinfo followed three activists from the New Popular Front in Dornes, a small village in the 2nd constituency of Nièvre. In this constituency, the majority candidate withdrew and called for voting for the left-wing candidate.
Nièvre is a symbol, the bastion of François Mitterrand. Despite this, the socialist candidate of the New Popular Front in the 2nd constituency of the department, Christian Paul, only obtained 26% of the votes in the first round, far behind the far-right candidate who received nearly 45%.
Laurence, 62 years old, a member of France Insoumise, is very active in the campaign. She displays the slogan “Christian Paul: defend Nièvre, love France” everywhere. According to her, it is not only the National Rally that loves France, and she does not see how the latter can claim to love it. She firmly opposes the far-right, comparing voting for the National Rally to drinking gasoline. For Laurence, being on the left means being in a struggle.
A strong activist mobilization is observed in this campaign. While Laurence already has experience in politics, others like Siloé, a 19-year-old student in political science, are experiencing political engagement for the first time. Siloé distributes leaflets to convince voters. Anne Mercier, 59 years old, who has never been a card-carrying member, is also mobilized. For her, the rise in National Rally votes is worrying and reminds her of the protests against the National Front in her youth.
The activists support the idea of a pluralistic assembly or a coalition government to counter the far-right. They believe that anything is preferable to the National Rally and support the proposal for a government of public safety. For them, unity is paramount, but they emphasize the importance of the political program. They want to see measures like a minimum wage of 1,600 euros implemented.
The activists do not want a weak consensus that would change nothing. They are determined to go all the way to convince voters before the second round of elections.
Source: Francetvinfo
