Everything to Know About New Popular Front, Shock Winner Of French Election (X image@SinghVikramB)

The New Popular Front or Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) gave a shock win during France’s parliamentary election, by winning 182 seats in the 577 seat Parliament. The assembly is now split between three opposition bloc, none with absolute majority of 289 seats required to form the government.

The NFP alliance constitute of four left-wing parties. The France Unbowed or La France Insoumise (LFI), Socialist Party or Parti Socialiste (PS), the French Green Party, also known as The Ecologists (Les Ecologistes – LE), and formerly known as Europe Ecology – The Greens (Europe Ecologie les Verts – EELV), and the French Communist Party or Parti communiste francais (PCF).

What is NFP:

The largest among the alliance is LFI, which is led Jean-Luc Melenchon, who is often referred to as a radical-left firebrand. Founded in 2016, LFI is termed as a radical left and populist party, which believe that traditional parties and political organizations no longer serve democracy.

Read also: Left-Wing Eclipses Far-Right In France; Hung Parliament As No Absolute Majority

Next is the LE-EEV party. It is the latest iteration of a movement founded in 1984. It has had two spells in government, joining a leftwing alliance with the PS and Communists in 1997, when its then leader, Dominique Voynet, was environment minister, and another in 2012 under Hollande’s Socialist presidency.

The fourth party in the alliance is the PCF, one of the oldest parties in Europe. For long, it was the main force on the postwar French left and also served in Lionel Jospin’s PS-led government from 1997 to 2002. The party still aims to “overcome” capitalism, but is pragmatic about doing it.

What makes NFP:

While all parties had made concessions in NFP, the alliance’s programme is heavily influenced by the LFI, including pledges that are deemed would increase the already high public spending of the country.

NFP promises to reverse Emmanuel Macron’s controversial changes in pensions and return the retirement age to its pre-2010 level of 60 (from 64), raise public sector wages, link salaries to inflation, boost housing and youth benefits, cut income tax and social security for lower earners, and introduce a wealth tax for the rich.

It also aims to raise the minimum wage, fund 500,000 childcare places, cap the prices of essential foods, electricity, gas and petrol, boost green measures – including legislating for carbon neutrality by 2050 – and overhaul the EU’s common agriculture policy.

On foreign affairs, NFP said it would demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, recognize the State of Palestine and “halt Moscow’s war of aggression” in Ukraine. It vows to keep supplying munitions to Kyiv and “unfailingly defend the sovereignty and freedom of the Ukrainian people”.

Read also: “Will have To Recognise The State Of Palestine”: French Left Leader Jean-Luc Melenchon 

What went right:

After the 2022 presidential election, and before the subsequent parliamentary vote, the same four parties formed a similar pact, named as Nupes – New Ecological and Social People’s Union (Nouvelle Union populaire écologique et sociale). It collapsed last year over personality clashes and major policy differences.

The NFP alliance was put together in haste after President Macron decided to dissolve parliament last month following his camp’s heavy defeat in the European elections, with the far-right National Rally (RN) polling at more than 30%.

While millions of left-slanting French voters would have casted their ballots willingly for NFP candidates, the alliance also benefited from the “republican front” which was thrown up after the first round of election, that was comfortably won by the far-right National Rally or Rassemblement National (RN).

Read also: Who Is Marine Le Pen, The ‘Far-Right’ Political Leader Of France?

In order to split the anti-RN vote in the potential three-way runoffs, the NFP took down 132 candidates, and more than 80 centrists also pulled out in favour of NFP candidates. Many centrist and centre-right supporters then voted left to block the RN.

As per Ipsos, 54% of people who voted for Macron’s camp (Together) in the first round and 29% of those who voted for the centre-right Les Républicains (LR) switched to NFP when the alliance’s candidate was from the PS, Greens or Communist party.

Fewer decided to switch when the NFP’s candidate was from the more radical LFI. However, the numbers were still significant: 43% of Together voters and 26% of LR voters.

Can left-wings hold together this time:

The major reason for the collapse of Nupes was said to be the domineering and pugnacious character and increasingly radical stances of Melenchon. The deep policy differences regarding support for Ukraine, the war in Gaza also contributed to the fall. While most of the Europe has branded Hamas, the resistance group of Gaza as a ‘terrorist organisation’, LFI refused to follow the same.

Melenchon is seemed as a stumbling block for the left. The 72-year-old abrasive leader had promised to take a back seat in the NFP but has seemingly been unable to so, demanding on Sunday that France’s next prime minister come from the alliance and implement “our manifesto, and only our manifesto” – without a majority.

LFI after the election result

He even suggested to take up the job himself. However, his frequent outbursts of rage, petty attacks on opponents, reflexive anti-US stance, ‘Europhobia’ and – before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – frequent Moscow-friendly remarks gave him a toxic shade to be considered for the position.

The LFI leader has also faced accusations of antisemitism, recently describing the attendees of a demonstration against antisemitism as “the friends of unconditional support of the [Gaza] massacre” and appearing to minimise antisemitism in France by describing it as “residual”. He denies the accusations.

Read also: Jean-Luc Melenchon – The Outspoken Left Leader Of France

Who could lead:

Even though LFI is the largest faction within the NFP, with 74 MPs, the other three parties together outnumber the radical-left party – the PS has 59 deputies, the Greens 28 and the Communists nine. They may not let themselves be pushed around.

Former LFI member, and now an independent MP, Clementine Autian said that the LFI dissidents may try to form a separate political group within NFP, possibly with the Communists and some overseas and other non-affiliated left-wing MPs, which could further weaken LFI’s position within the alliance.

Read also: Olivier Faure – France’s Socialist Leader

Olivier Faure, the Socialist leader, said the NFP would aim to come up with a candidate for the post of prime minister by the middle of the week. Marine Tondelier, the Greens’ leader, said it could be a member of one of the four main parties but also “someone from outside politics”.

(with inputs from The Guardian)