Mélenchon launches the “Parliament of Nupes” to promote “popular involvement”

May 31, 2022

Jean-Luc Mélenchon launched on Monday the “parliament of the New Popular Ecological and Social Union” (Nupes) in order to promote “mass popular involvement”, essential according to him for the success of the government if he became Prime Minister.

The former rebellious presidential candidate (22%) began his speech, in front of a part of the 500 members of this parliament gathered at the Factory in Paris, with a warning: “The parliament of Nupes begins (… ) and its durability is not certain”.

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.

For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “parliament is a necessity”. “It is impossible to change society as fundamentally as we have the ambition without mass popular involvement”, hammered Jean-Luc Mélenchon, in front of his coalition partners the socialist leaders Olivier Faure, ecologist Julien Bayou and communist Ian Brossat .

“I hope with all my strength that the (parliament) continues”, be “constructive and insolent towards power even if it is we who exercise it”, confided Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “Let him be rebellious, rebellious, whatever you want,” he added, not without a teasing glance at Olivier Faure.

“But you will decide, it’s only in 15 days that all of this will end,” he added of the legislative campaign and the first round on June 12. According to polls, Nupes would become the second formation in the National Assembly with between 165 and 195 seats.

Aurélie Trouvé for her part recalled that this parliament was intended to “build a common political culture to win the cultural battle”, “everywhere we can push back the reign of money and make the human take precedence”.

She presented her vice-presidents who represent the parties newly allied with LFI, the EELV MEP Marie Toussaint, the number 2 of the PS Corinne Narassiguin, the leader of the communist senators Eliane Assassi, the leader of Générations Sophie Taillé-Polian and the LFI MEP Manon Aubry. The rebellious deputy Eric Coquerel, also vice-president, was absent.

The parliament, which until then had some 300 members, was enlarged to 500 participants, half from 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.