2002: The lesson that no one (or almost) wants to learn – Political and Parliamentary Review

During the 2002 presidential election, Lionel Jospin was eliminated in the first round. The Prime Minister, who knew how to organize the exercise of power by a plural left, had not prevented the multiplication of candidates within his own majority. The rivalry of ambitions killed the left.

Twenty-five years later, the lesson has only been learned by the extremes: the RN of Marine Le Pen, and LFI of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The latter has undoubtedly not forgotten the violent disappointment suffered on April 21, when he was minister of the defeated head of government. Since then, at the head of LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has not tolerated any internal divergence, regardless of the resentful departures that this authoritarian posture generates.

Marine Le Pen, too, participated in the 2002 campaign. After leading her party with an iron fist, she succeeded in inventing the dual unitary candidacy. Jordan Bardella does not wear the same line as her, but both pretend not to notice it, and above all, she knows that the runner-up she has chosen will never go against her in the presidential election.

In 2002 as today, the government majority was dispersed around numerous candidates representing the parties that made it up: Jean-Pierre Chevènement (5.33% of the vote), Noël Mamère (5.25), Robert Hue (3.37) or Christiane Taubira (2.32) Â for a total of 16.27% of the votes while the outgoing Prime Minister obtained 16.18 behind Jean-Marie Le Pen at 16.86.

However, outside the extremes, no one seems to remember the ravages of these plural ambitions and candidacies are flourishing. On the left, on the social democratic side, Raphael Glucksmann and Bernard Cazeneuve challenge each other and strive to block the path of François Hollande. On the center-right, Gabriel Attal accelerates to destroy the supremacy of Edouard Philippe challenged on his right by Bruno Retailleau. The characteristic of the multiplication of candidates within the same political sensibility is that they always begin by defining themselves against the one who is close to them. Each thinks in this way that they will obtain a little extra supposed to discourage the rival more surely than a primary. Objectively, nothing guarantees this. There is also no guarantee that voters will easily switch from one to the other.

All these candidates also refuse the principle of a primary. They chose a virtual ballot: polls. Those which will appear in the fall should constitute this race of ambitions. It will undoubtedly be time to remember the lessons of the 2002 election.

Marie-Eve Falkland Islands
Political editorialist