Succession of Bayou, European elections... EELV opens its summer university
The national secretary of EELV, Julien Bayou, at the opening of the party's summer university in Grenoble, August 25, 2022. AFP - OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE
Text by: RFI Follow
4 mins
Who to succeed Julien Bayou at the head of Europe Ecology Les Verts (EELV)?
This is a subject that is currently occupying the summer school for ecologists, which opened in Grenoble on Thursday August 25.
Several members are already advancing their pawns.
But in the clan of EELV, there is a point which is unanimous: no question of a new union on the left for the European elections of 2024.
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With our special correspondent in Grenoble,
Grégory Genevrier
Among ecologists, who are holding their summer university (from August 25 to 27), appetites are sharpening as the succession of
Julien Bayou
looms.
Marine Tondelier, is the first to come out of the woods.
His collective "La Suite" wants to open the party to other associations and political formations.
Supported by a large part of the outgoing management, she appears to be the favorite for the post of national secretary of EELV.
Faced with the evidence, the elected representative from the North does not say no, but prefers to kick in touch:
“
I tell you that for the moment, we are at the time of reflection on what we want to do.
That's what must come first, that's the plan we're drawing together.
Then, if we find that he is convincing and we decide that ''La Suite'' must go to the Congress, then we will see how we organize ourselves.
But this is a secondary question.
»
[It's back to school for #EELV in Grenoble!]
Mayors and parliamentarians on their way to #JDE2022 … by tram 🌻 pic.twitter.com/Dr6WI3Y8Pd
— Marine Tondelier (@marinetondelier) August 25, 2022
His project will have competition from the “Le Lien” movement, which defends a popular and inclusive ecology.
MEP Karima Delli carries this project: “
We want to become the first party of popular ecology.
The second thing, we must get out of the grip of protest that sticks to our skin, to a state of mind of power.
We want to rule!
»
Faced with this situation, in a party where ego wars are inscribed in its DNA, Julien Bayou wants to be reassuring.
According to him, the fight will not be as fierce as it was during the primary.
“
It talks quietly.
It's not the big maneuvers that we saw in the pre-Congress summer days, I saw a few of them.
»
If, for the moment, all is well, there are still several months of campaign where everything can go wrong.
"No reason" to unite on the left for the next European
Unity is strength, goes the old adage.
Yes, but not in the European elections, they say in the EELV clan.
The next major election in France, scheduled for May 2024, should not see the environmentalist party join forces again with other left-wing parties, as was the case with
Nupes in the last legislative elections
.
Frédéric Neau has been a party activist for 20 years and cannot imagine such a scenario happening again: “
We still have major differences on a lot of points.
It seems difficult to put everything in the same basket.
»
It must be said that there are many disagreements on European issues within Nupes.
For MEP Yannick Jadot, the common list would not be a good operation for anyone: "
You are going to have environmentalists who are not going to go for this coalition saying 'sorry, Mélenchon's positions on Europe, I cannot not''.
You are going to have mélenchonistes who are not going to vote saying ''the federalist positions of the Greens, I cannot''...
”
Ecologists are also very attached to the proportional ballot of Europeans.
In 2019, they had created the surprise by collecting more than 13% of the votes.
All the more reason to go it alone, says Marine Tondelier: “
It seems logical when you have a one-round proportional election, which is also the voting method that we have always advocated.
So there's no reason there shouldn't be a green ballot in this election.
»
This green ballot does not mean the death of the Nupes, tempers Julien Bayou: “
It is not because we express a disagreement on what was already pointed out as a disagreement that the Nupes is finished.
Maybe tomorrow we will have separate but not hostile European lists.
»
Behind the scenes, the rebels hope at least to convince the socialists and the communists to make a common list.
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French politics
Yannick Jadot