{"id":742,"date":"2026-06-02T05:40:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T05:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=742"},"modified":"2026-06-02T05:40:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T05:40:45","slug":"in-frances-poor-diverse-suburbs-melenchons-hard-left-charts-a-path-to-the-presidency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=742","title":{"rendered":"In France&#8217;s poor, diverse suburbs, Melenchon&#8217;s hard left charts a path to the presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Summary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>SARCELLES, France, June 2 (Reuters) &#8211; When Bassi Konate became mayor of Sarcelles this spring, the independent candidate backed by the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party ended three decades of municipal rule \u200bby the Socialists, the traditional powerhouse of the French left.<\/div>\n<div>A native of Sarcelles, a poor, multi-cultural town north of Paris, Konate, 38, leveraged his hometown roots and a network of \u200crappers, soccer stars and influencers to mobilise young voters through social media and canvassing.<\/div>\n<div>Konate, who is of Malian heritage, said his election reflected the diversity of modern France.<\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Sarcelles is the most beautiful city in the world because the whole world is truly represented,&#8221; he told Reuters. &#8220;The face of the world in France.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div>Konate&#8217;s capture of Sarcelles, where he grew up in social housing, illustrates why LFI has become a formidable force heading into next year&#8217;s presidential vote.<\/div>\n<div>As Emmanuel Macron&#8217;s second and final term comes to \u200ban end, the unpopular president leaves behind a hollowed-out political centre and weak economy that have opened space for hardline parties such as LFI, whose polarising candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, 74, is making his \u200bfourth tilt at the presidency.<\/div>\n<div>While polls forecast the far-right National Rally (RN) is favourite to reach the second round next April, analysts say Melenchon could join it if mainstream \u2060parties fail to coalesce around a tighter cast of candidates.<\/div>\n<div>A May 29 Toluna Harris poll showed Melenchon reaching a run-off in three of five scenarios.<\/div>\n<div>Despite finding him to be France&#8217;s most unpopular politician, with a 69% \u200brejection rating, a May 26 Odoxa poll had Melenchon virtually tied with former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, widely seen as the strongest centrist hopeful.<\/div>\n<div>Melenchon&#8217;s promises of a higher minimum wage, heavier taxes on wealth and profits, \u200band price controls alarm business leaders and investors, while LFI&#8217;s pro-Palestinian stance has spurred accusations of antisemitism, which it denies.<\/div>\n<h2>YOUTH APPEAL<\/h2>\n<div>But its clear policies on everything from Gaza to public housing appeal to younger voters and immigrant-heavy towns wary of both the nationalist RN and urbane centrists who have failed to deliver growth.<\/div>\n<div>According to a Cluster17 poll, nearly half of 18- to 24-year-olds and over a third of 25- to 34-year-olds would vote for Melenchon, who launches his campaign next Sunday in Saint-Denis, another \u200bpoor Paris suburb won by LFI mayor Bally Bagayoko.<\/div>\n<div>Home to 60,000 people, including some 8,000 Jews, Sarcelles is one of France&#8217;s youngest, poorest and most diverse towns.<\/div>\n<div>Patrick Haddad, the former Socialist mayor defeated by Konate, said \u200bFrance had &#8220;fractured&#8221; into three blocs, with &#8220;gentrified cities&#8221; voting for centrists, and the RN dominating the rural vote. Poorer urban areas, or &#8216;banlieues&#8217;, such as Sarcelles are increasingly swinging behind LFI, he said.<\/div>\n<div>Manuel Bompard, LFI&#8217;s national coordinator, described the party&#8217;s base \u200cas &#8220;the forgotten, the \u2060despised, the overlooked&#8221;, including single-parent families and gig-economy workers often lacking union protections.<\/div>\n<div>Bompard rejected suggestions that LFI is beholden to France&#8217;s Muslim population, Europe&#8217;s largest, but said it was empowering for immigrants to see themselves represented among LFI lawmakers.<\/div>\n<div>&#8220;People vote for us because they feel recognised and are interested in our proposals on wages, prices, public services,&#8221; he told Reuters.<\/div>\n<div>Many in Sarcelles agreed, celebrating the town&#8217;s diversity without downplaying its hardships.<\/div>\n<div>Catherine Elyn said her pregnant 31-year-old daughter had just moved back in with her as her temporary work no longer covered rent.<\/div>\n<div>&#8220;The problem is young people no longer have money,&#8221; said Elyn, 57, as she walked past a &#8220;Coexist&#8221; mural featuring an \u200bIslamic crescent, a Star of David and a cross.<\/div>\n<div>&#8220;We \u200bare afraid of gas and gasoline prices, of \u2060using the car,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But we still help each other.&#8221;<\/div>\n<h2>JEWISH COMMUNITY ON EDGE<\/h2>\n<div>Many Jewish leaders and political rivals blame LFI for helping fuel a record surge in antisemitic acts after the Gaza war began in 2023, though incidents have since fallen.<\/div>\n<div>Konate&#8217;s election left many local Jews jittery, community leaders said. He acknowledged their concerns but blamed \u200bhis political foes for inflaming tensions.<\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I grew up alongside the Jewish community, so I will do everything possible to make sure things go well,&#8221; he \u200bsaid.<\/div>\n<div>Jewish community leader Moise Kahloun \u2060was trying to keep an open mind, and credited Konate for celebrating Passover at a Sarcelles synagogue, but added, &#8220;LFI stigmatizes our community.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div>Francois-Xavier Valentin, the right-wing candidate defeated by Konate, said he feared Sarcelles&#8217; Jewish population &#8211; already down by half since the 2000s &#8211; would shrink further as more residents leave for Israel or wealthier suburbs.<\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I understand that in the current context, the Jewish community is worried,&#8221; he told Reuters. &#8220;Gaza is a concern.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div>LFI believes its strategy of targeting young \u2060people and others who \u200bdon&#8217;t typically vote can succeed at the national level.<\/div>\n<div>With Melenchon some 420,000 votes shy of reaching the second round in 2022, Bompard \u200bsaid LFI is now targeting the 26% who abstained then, hoping their votes will propel the party to a run-off against the RN.<\/div>\n<div>Melenchon also benefits from &#8220;an aspiration for radicality&#8221; sweeping Europe, Bompard said, noting the rise of the Greens in Britain.<\/div>\n<div>Even Melenchon&#8217;s advanced years \u200bcould prove an advantage, Bompard added: &#8220;His age is a guarantee that he will not betray because he no longer needs to build a career.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=740\">Taiwan president says keeping political status quo is key to securing supply chains<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=738\">Nvidia has capacity to supply robust AI growth despite constraints, says CEO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=736\">Nine dead, dozens wounded as Russia launches major attack across Ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Bassi Konate became mayor of Sarcelles this spring, the independent candidate backed by the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party ended three decades of municipal rule \u200bby the Socialists, the traditional powerhouse of the French left.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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