Whatever happened to the French Socialists? The BuffPo investigates the spectacular fall of one of what used to be France's biggest party.
What's going wrong for the French socialists? As recently as 2012, under President François Hollande (66), the left dominated parliament. Nine years later, it seems to have completely disappeared. How could it have come to this?
The Socialists still control key French towns like Paris, France's legendary capital, Lille in the north and Marseille in the south. Anne Hidalgo (61), the mayor of Paris is likely to be put forward by the Socialists (PS), as their candidate for the presidency in 2022.
Pollsters explain the vote this way: in the 2017 Presidential Election, part of the traditional socialist vote went to Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s (69) radical-left party "Free France" while a staggering 47% of those who had voted for the socialists in 2012, put their faith in the then untested promises of Emmanuel Macron's (43) new party, En Marche.
Mélenchon is a former socialist politician who compares himself to Bernie Sanders (79) in the US and to Jeremy Corbyn (73) in the UK.
In 2008 he left the party in protest at the direction it was taking and tried his own chances for the crown, eventually emerging with a respectable 11% of the vote. Mélenchon preaches 32-hour weeks, rages against finance and is a reminder to the French of what they once loved about socialist politics.
In 2017, Macron, a financier, promised to be neither left nor right, but to follow a "third way". However, for many socialists who lent him their vote, he has proved to be very much more of a conventional, right-wing politician. They note that a key law Macron introduced, replaced France's wealth tax with a 30% flat tax - considerably reducing the tax burden on the wealthiest.
In 2017, Macron, a financier, promised to be neither left nor right, but to follow a "third way". However, for many socialists who lent him their vote, he has proved to be very much more of a conventional, right-wing politician. They note that a key law Macron introduced, replaced France's wealth tax with a 30% flat tax - considerably reducing the tax burden on the wealthiest.
Today the polls show the socialists barely in double figures, behind not only Macron and Marine Le Pen's (52) far-right "National Rally" but also Mélenchon.
Taubira for 2022?
However, all is not lost for the socialists as former justice minister Christiane Taubira (69), remains very popular amongst the left-wing who would like to see her as their candidate for the presidency in 2022. A native of French Guyana, an overseas Region bordering Brazil, she would make history if elected by being not only the first woman to reach the Elysée but also the first black president.
Almost 20 years ago already, Taubira WAS candidate for the 2002 presidential election, for the Radical-Left Party (PRG), where she scored a respectable beginner's 2,32%.
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