Towards a return of Jean-Luc Mélenchon in 2024? LFI prepares the hypothesis
As the impeachment procedure against Emmanuel Macron, which has no chance of success, approaches, La France insoumise (LFI) is already looking ahead to the possibility of an early presidential election. On Franceinfo, Manuel Bompard, national coordinator of LFI, expressed his confidence in the progress of the procedure and estimated that Jean-Luc Mélenchon would be the best option to carry the program of the New Popular Front (NFP) if an election were to take place.
Bompard welcomed the Socialist Party's turnaround, which recently agreed to support the impeachment procedure. "An unprecedented event under the Fifth Republic," he stressed. However, the final adoption of the text remains uncertain, requiring support beyond the left. If this impeachment succeeds, it would open the way to an early presidential election. Bompard then specified: "At this stage, Jean-Luc Mélenchon is the person best placed to carry the NFP program."
Although Jean-Luc Mélenchon has repeatedly stated that he wants to make way for a new generation of leaders, citing François Ruffin, Mathilde Panot and Manuel Bompard, the current political instability could push him to reconsider this decision. Influential figures in LFI, such as Éric Coquerel, chairman of the Finance Committee, believe that Mélenchon remains the candidate most capable of uniting the left on a program of rupture. A recent Ifop poll confirms that Mélenchon remains the best placed on the left, even if his score remains low, around 10%.
Discordant voices on the left
However, not everyone is convinced of the merits of a fourth candidacy for the former socialist minister. François Hollande, on RTL, recalled that Mélenchon never reached the second round in his previous attempts and that the Socialist Party should once again become the leading party on the left. MP François Ruffin, for his part, criticizes LFI's strategy, accusing the party of focusing too exclusively on young people and working-class neighborhoods.
At the same time, a figure is emerging within the NFP: Lucie Castets. This senior civil servant, presented as a unifying face, could constitute an alternative to Mélenchon. Supported by figures such as Alexis Corbière and Clémentine Autain, Castets embodies, according to them, a less divisive option and more capable of rallying a majority.
As political uncertainty continues to grow, LFI is preparing for all eventualities, with Mélenchon still leading the forecasts, but internal tensions that could redistribute the cards.
