Legislative: Nupes unveils its shared government program, with “nuances”

May 20, 2022

Nupes, the new alliance of the left in view of the legislative elections, presented Thursday a “shared program of government” with 650 measures and some differences, which remain in particular on nuclear power or Europe.

The partners of the New Popular Ecological and Social Union (Nupes), which brings together LFI, EELV, PS, PCF and Generations, arrived together at the press conference to show the good agreement that has reigned since they concluded on May 7 this historic union of the left, with a view to obtaining a majority in the legislative elections.

In the lead, the leader of the rebellious, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, followed by Julien Bayou, national secretary of EELV, Olivier Faure, First Secretary of the PS and Ian Brossat, spokesperson for the PCF, who replaced the leader of the Communists, Fabien Roussel, retained in his constituency with Vallourec employees.

No “ideological fusion” in this program, immediately affirmed Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who hopes to become the next Prime Minister in the event of victory.

“We could not, within the timeframe that was ours, and after such a long time of absence of debate, agree on everything”, he explained, but the will was to “do better than a few measures , which would have reduced our union to a pure electoral cartel”.

In total, the program has 650 measures. We find the minimum wage at 1,500 euros net, retirement at 60, a social conference on wages, price freezes, the establishment of the Sixth Republic and the citizens’ initiative referendum, or the creation of a million jobs thanks to the investment in the ecological bifurcation.

The Nupes also wants to restore the ISF with a climate component, invest massively in renewable energies, recruit and promote 100,000 caregivers for the public hospital or repeal the law against separatism.

This program is part of “a process of re-parliamentarization” of political life, insisted Mr. Mélenchon, in contrast to the “hyper-presidentialization” of Emmanuel Macron, of which he criticized a lack of program.

In the end, 33 measures are “in nuance”, he explained, a way of saying that they are still the subject of differences between the partners. These disagreements will be arbitrated “by parliament”, where each partner will be able to defend its positions.

This concerns, for example, Europe, NATO, nuclear power, but also hunting or nationalization.

Regarding NATO, which Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants out, “I can see that the point of view which is mine is not shared today”, explained the rebellious tribune. “I would hate to make a coup (…) because it would prevent the Union from being made”.

But, he stressed, “no decision regarding the exit from NATO would be ratified by the president, therefore, the question is null and void”, he stressed.

On Europe, the text states that the signatories are “ready not to respect European rules? disobey for some, derogate temporarily for others? when they are in contradiction with the application” of the program.

On nuclear power, the Communists are opposed to an exit from the atom. “That does not prevent us from agreeing on the major subjects” and “if tomorrow we have each of the groups in the Assembly, we will continue to defend our convictions”, said their representative Ian Brossat.

With this project “built in a fortnight, in less time than it took for Macron to find a Prime Minister”, “we want to give ourselves the means to change the lives of as many people as possible”, said Julien Bayou.

“We have the will together to be a left of transformation”, added the socialist Olivier Faure. “A lot of people will tell you that all of this is not possible, but the whole story of the left is to have made things possible that were presented as impossible”.

He also defended Jean-Luc Mélenchon, accused by President Macron of communitarianism. “We can see that we are trying to make scarecrows,” he lamented, when “we should now be interested in the real subjects” of global warming or inequalities.

“I completely agree with what has just been said”, replied Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is “not a candidate to be Prime Minister of swimming pools”, following the controversy over the burkini. “Our program is to allow people to live”.