Macron, a centrist, has made clear that it is he alone who names the prime minister, although in practice his choice is governed by the outcome of the election, which will not be clear until the second round on June 19. So if Nupes won a majority, he would likely pick someone from the coalition, but it might not be Melenchon.
Leftist parties that had nearly disappeared from the French political landscape have grown wings in the runup to Sunday’s legislative elections and now threaten to weaken President Emmanuel Macron and his hopes of slam-dunking his agenda through parliament, AP reports.
An alliance of leftist parties cobbled together by hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is now soaring in polls. The campaign poster “Melenchon Prime Minister” no longer draws chuckles from opponents.
Commentators have yet to agree on how to pronounce Nupes, the French acronym for the alliance, the New Popular Ecological and Social Union. Melenchon simply calls it the Popular Union. It combines his party, La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), Socialists, Communists and Greens.
“It is amazing, so inspiring and motivating. All of the left wing is in line behind Melenchon,” said Michael Gorre, a 45-year-old computer scientist attending a Paris rally last week by the coalition. “It feels good to have someone who talks about concrete things.”
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