The leader of La France insoumise expressed his intention to govern on Friday, while stressing that he is not the natural prime minister of a left-wing government that could emerge from a majority in the Assembly after the legislative elections

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France insoumise (LFI), said on France 5 on Saturday 22 June that he was ready to become prime minister if the left-wing alliance won the legislative elections, despite misgivings within his own camp.

He insisted on the need for unity on the left, avoiding internal conflict and disorder.

“We’re going to talk about it”

In response to statements by LFI MP François Ruffin and PS European list leader Raphaël Glucksmann, Mélenchon said he could accede to Matignon: “Of course,” he said.

“I’m not eliminating myself and I’m not imposing myself. It’s an approach that respects the collective”, he added. On the subject of Glucksmann, he insisted on the need for discussions.

Mélenchon pointed out that an agreement among left-wing allies stipulates that the largest parliamentary group will propose the candidate for prime minister, although PS leader Olivier Faure mentioned the need for a vote to decide.

Ruffin has “taken responsibility for a break”

This position was criticised by his opponents, such as Jordan Bardella of the RN and Roland Lescure, Minister for Industry, on social networks.

Mélenchon also addressed his ideological divergence with François Ruffin, who opposed the non-reinvestiture of certain outgoing elected representatives. He contrasted Ruffin’s “social democratic” line with his own approach of breaking with the system, claiming that the results of the European elections had validated his vision.

“Macron is finished”: faced with the New Popular Front, Mélenchon believes that “only the fascists remain” According to him, the social-democratic bloc lost 440,000 votes in the European elections compared to 2019, while the Insoumis gained 1 million votes from one European election to the next.