Toulouse: who will the militants of the Popular Primary turn to after the withdrawal of Christiane Taubira?
In January, Christiane Taubira, left-wing candidate in the presidential election, came out on top in the votes of the popular Primary, a citizens’ initiative which had set itself the goal of rallying on the left in view of the ballot. The day after his withdrawal from the race for the Elysée, activists react.
Last January, 470,000 voters decided between seven candidates from the left through a vote during the Popular Primary, a citizens’ initiative born in the summer of 2021. Through this initiative, the activists pleaded for a single candidacy on the left in when disunity seemed to reign. At the end of the votes, Christiane Taubira had arrived far ahead of Yannick Jadot and Jean-Luc Mélenchon. She was also the only one to support the initiative.
In the aftermath of the announcement of his withdrawal from the presidential race, what becomes of this movement of left-wing activists? “The democratic flaws were such that a candidacy carried by an unprecedented citizen plebiscite was not enough to challenge the established apparatuses, in a system that no longer has much of representative”; reacts Samuel Grzybowski, one of the founders of the left-wing citizen movement behind the Popular Primary.
181 referrals
48 hours from the close of sponsorships, it totaled only 181. “Our rallying strategy did not succeed before the start of the official campaign because the traditional parties did not want to listen to the hundreds of thousands of voters of the Popular Primary”, emphasizes one of the founders of the militant movement. The members of the Popular Primary, particularly in Toulouse, however, welcome a “courageous, dignified and responsible decision” and admit that they are nevertheless “disappointed and saddened”. Margot, a Toulousaine, had voted during this primary. “It’s true that it’s disappointing but this candidate listened to us, heard our concerns,” she insists. Once this “defeat” has been accepted, everyone intends to “let go of nothing” and remain convinced that the primary objective “is the victory of ecology, social justice and democracy because in 2027 it will be too late”.
In a few days, the members of the popular Primary now deprived of their candidate intend to refine their political positions a few weeks before the first round of the presidential election. “The Popular Primary will announce very soon, after discussions with Christiane Taubira and her teams, its positioning to support the victory of the ecology of social justice in 2022”, insist the representatives of the Popular Primary.
