The victory of Donald Trump and the defeat of Kamala Harris in the presidential election in the United States have brought divisions to the surface on the left on international, but also national, issues. Obviously keen to keep control of the story, La France insoumise (LFI) was the first to react, Wednesday November 6, seeing in the failure of the moderate positioning of the democratic candidate a validation of its line « radical » facing a left « molle »in the words of Antoine Léaument, LFI deputy for Essonne.
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For the Mélenchonist troops, the return of the Republican candidate to the White House is implacable proof that “only a radical and popular left” could “win against the far right”argued LFI in a press release. “We cannot mobilize the people on a neoliberal line and without social and geopolitical ruptures”movement coordinator Manuel Bompard detailed on X. A reference to Kamala Harris, while during the campaign, the center-left candidate was treated as a “communist”and « pure Marxist » by Donald Trump, two disqualifying terms across the Atlantic.
“An American election cannot be won further to the left: this was the limit of Bernie Sanders”corrects political scientist Philippe Marlière, in reference to this figure of the American radical left, who tried unsuccessfully to win the Democratic nomination for the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton.
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Driven by a visceral anti-Atlanticism, the leader of the “rebels”, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, wielded the “confusionism”continues the political scientist, putting the Democrat and the Republican on the same level. “The USA could not choose the left: there was none”reacted the three-time presidential candidate, after Trump's victory on Wednesday morning. Two days earlier, he had estimated that the two contenders for the White House were “similar but not identical”evoking their positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or support for “capitalism”. “The lesser evil is always evil”he concluded, while conceding that he would have voted « Harris » if he had lived in a « swing state » (“Pivot States”).
Question of aid to Ukraine
LFI is thus trying to take the lead, while the question of aid to Ukraine or the strengthening of European defense should return to the public debate. On these two subjects, the movement risks swimming against the tide. “It could be very complicated for Mélenchon”considers the political scientist Rémi Lefebvre. Eurosceptic, LFI has always veered on the war with Russia, advocating “peace” and asking for a “conference on borders”, a way of calling into question those of Ukraine.
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