JOEL SAGET / AFP
Lyes Louffok was chosen by La France insoumise to be a candidate for the legislative elections in Isère.
POLITICS – On the left, a simple partial legislative election can whet appetites and turn into a free-for-all. Since the resignation of Hugo Prévost, accused of sexist and sexual violence, the inhabitants of the first constituency of Isère no longer have a deputy. A vote must be organized in the coming weeks to replace him, and tensions are already rising between partners of the New Popular Front.
In the agreement signed by all the left-wing parties in June, the constituency goes to La France insoumise. Monday October 28, local activists therefore spoke out in favor of the candidacy of Lyes Louffok, recognized child rights activist and unsuccessful candidate in the last legislative elections in Val-de-Marne, according to information from Dauphiné Libéré.
This 30-year-old young man, entrusted to Child Welfare just after his mother gave birth, regularly intervenes in public debate to raise the voice of children in care, denounce mistreatment, dysfunctions, attacks on rights of the youngest and warn of the lack of resources invested in child protection. “Children are not objects, they are subjects of law”he often repeats.
But before being elected, Lyes Louffok will first have to establish himself as the common candidate of the left. And the Socialist Party, which normally does not have a say in an LFI constituency, could play spoilsport. “Are constituencies acquired for life? I'm not sure. The subject is not to betray the June agreement, it is to win”explains PS MEP Pierre Jouvet to Politico this October 29. In fact, the Socialists have nominated Amandine Germain as “leader” in the constituency. Without going so far as to say that she would be a candidate. The decision to designate it was also taken by local activists, without consultation with the national leadership.
Olivier Véran candidate for the Macronist camp?
The matter, which could be resolved in two phone calls, is so serious that a summit meeting has been called for October 30. Always according to Politicothe gray eminences of the left will meet at the local headquarters of the PCF in Grenoble in the hope of untangling this bag of knots. The PS/LFI confrontation is less about substantive issues than about a desire to take leadership: the two groups have almost the same number of deputies, although the Insoumis are a little more numerous. Above all, the PS must soon meet in congress and choose whether or not to renew its First Secretary. A pivotal period for Olivier Faure who cannot alienate too large a part of his base, unhappy with the agreements signed with the Insoumis. It must therefore, internally, give pledges to those who are pushing for socialist reaffirmation. From there to making the union of the left suffer? Those close to Jean-Luc Mélenchon recall that conversely, in the Ardennes, where a partial legislative election is also being held, they will have no trouble supporting the PS candidate, as provided for by the NFP agreement.
In Isère, the whole challenge is to keep the constituency on the left. From Lyes Louffok to Amandine Germain, including Lucie Castets whose name was mentioned for a time before the main interested party abandoned the idea, the objective will be to not return this territory to the Macronists. Because the former Minister of Health Olivier Véran is keeping an eye on things. After representing the constituency from 2017 to 2024, he returned to his doctor's coat and has not spoken since the announcement of the holding of an early election.
Also see on The HuffPost:
Reading this content may result in cookies being placed by the third-party operator who hosts it. Taking into account the choices you have expressed regarding the deposit of cookies, we have blocked the display of this content. If you wish to access it, you must accept the “Third Party Content” category of cookies by clicking on the button below.
Play Video