Last week, in the midst of left-wing negotiations, the Socialists, Ecologists and Communists proposed several names to France insoumise, including that of Laurence Tubiana

According to a report by France Info, confirmed by H24 NEWS on Monday July 15, economist Laurence Tubiana was among the candidates suggested by the PS, the Ecologists and the PCF for the post of Prime Minister.

After several days of negotiations, initiated following the results of the legislative elections which put the New Popular Front in the lead, several personalities were mentioned at the end of last week. Notably Huguette Bello, President of the Réunion region, proposed by the PCF and supported by the Insoumis before she declined due to lack of consensus.

The Socialists, Ecologists and Communists also proposed Laurence Tubiana

Laurence Tubiana: a woman of the left and an environmentalist

Laurence Tubiana recently co-signed an article in Le Monde, calling on the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) to “reach out without delay to the other actors of the Republican Front to discuss a program of republican emergency and a government”.

Defining herself as a “woman of the left and an ecologist”, Laurence Tubiana has been mentioned several times in Macronist negotiations to form previous governments, although she has never followed through. Since 2017, she has chaired the European Climate Foundation and was Lionel Jospin’s environment advisor from 1997 to 2002.

Tensions within the Left

On Monday, the three left-wing parties proposed to the Insoumis a figure “from civil society” for the post of Prime Minister, without explicitly mentioning Laurence Tubiana.

“Today, together with the ecologists and communists, we put forward a proposal for a joint candidate from civil society for the post of Prime Minister, making it possible to unite the entire left around the project we have put forward,” says the PS press release.

Several La France Insoumise MPs reacted to the possible nomination of Laurence Tubiana for Matignon. Paul Vannier expressed his disapproval: “I can’t believe that, after vetoing Huguette Bello’s candidacy, Olivier Faure is preparing to try to impose a Macron-compatible candidate for Matignon on the Nouveau Front Populaire. This would be a betrayal of the commitment made to millions of voters.”

Nathalie Oziol also saw in this proposal a potential “reneging on the commitments made in the NFP”. Aurelien Taché added: “While I have fond memories of an undisputed climate expert, her ideas struck me as closer to those of Nicolas Hulot than to those of the New Popular Front.”