BUOYED BY their strong showing in the first round of France’s regional elections, France’s main left-wing parties yesterday agreed to present a united front to voters in next Sunday’s run-off.
Following intensive negotiations that began within hours of exit poll results being published on Sunday night, the Socialist Party (PS), Europe Écologie and the Front de Gauche agreed to present joint lists in 19 of the 22 regions in the French métropole — all but ensuring a punishing defeat for Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing UMP bloc next weekend.
Left-wing parties emerged resurgent from the first round, with their combined votes pushing them over the symbolic 50 per cent mark – albeit with a record abstention rate of 53 per cent.
Martine Aubry’s Socialist Party recovered from a poor performance in last year’s European elections to win over 29 per cent – making it France’s most popular party – while the Europe Écologie alliance, led by Cécile Duflot, consolidated its position as the third political force with 12.5 per cent.
Ms Aubry’s great hope is to wrest Alsace and Corsica from the UMP and thus make it a clean sweep of all 22 regions in the French métropole for the left. This may represent a relatively small gain on a regional electoral map already all but covered in red, but Ms Aubry knows its symbolic value would be incalculable.
Within the ever-fragmented French Left, the first round results confirmed an internal shift in the balance of power. The PS remains dominant, but the strength of Europe Écologie – a conglomerate of left-environmental voices – has given the left a new kingmaker, with the unconcealed ambition to supplant its bigger rival.
In 1997, when then Socialist leader Lionel Jospin sought to build his alliance of the “plural left”, the Communist Party was at 9.6 per cent and the Greens at 3.7 per cent. Today, Europe Écologie has the support of 12 per cent, while the Front de Gauche – an alliance of the Communist Party and others – has just 6 per cent.
With the next presidential election due in 2012, and Mr Sarkozy suddenly looking vulnerable, the left will be preoccupied with whether the sort of alliance agreed yesterday could augur similar co-operation when the stakes are higher.
It knows from experience that French voters have shown themselves willing before to give the Left control of regional councils, which control transport, training and education, before siding with the right for the presidency.