The "Hard Left" flexes its muscles in France's parliamentary elections

[marmar]

from the Independent UK:



President François Hollande may be forced to make policy concessions to France's virulently anti-austerity hard left after parliamentary elections tomorrow and next Sunday.

One of the final opinion polls before the first round of the elections showed a slight fall in support for Mr Hollande's Parti Socialiste. The Ipsos poll published yesterday suggested that Mr Hollande and his prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, might have to rely on Green, Communist and other hard-left votes to push their programme though the new National Assembly.

Supporters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's Front de Gauche can be expected to back large parts of Mr Hollande's programme but will stoutly resist the spending cuts needed if France is to reduce its deficit, as promised, to 3 per cent of GDP next year. Communist and other hard-left members are also expected to call for a larger rise in the minimum wage than the modest increase promised by Mr Hollande during his successful run for the presidency this spring.

Another poll by Opinionway suggested that Socialists and Greens might have a large enough moderate-left majority to rule without the harder left after the second round next Sunday. Mr Hollande will certainly hope so. One of his closest aides has described the prospect of a hard-left pivotal vote in the new parliament as "our worst nightmare". ............................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/hollande-braced-for-worst-nightmare-in-elections-7831808.html

[Surya Gayatri]

1. I'll be voting in the first round tomorrow...

for the candidate of the "Majorité Présidentielle" in my district.

This coalition of the Parti Socialiste (PS) and the Parti Radical de Gauche has been formed to ensure the new president has a clear majority.

This is where you see the advantage of a parliamentary system. President Hollande should have a sufficient majority to be able to implement at least some of his program.

Less legislative stone-walling than in the US at the moment.

[marmar]

2. "Less legislative stone-walling than in the US at the moment."

D'accord.