French Left Alliance Vows to Recognize Palestinian State as Soon as Possible

PARIS – Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leading figure of the left-wing New Popular Front alliance, has reaffirmed his commitment to recognizing the State of Palestine following his coalition’s victory in the recent French general election.

The snap elections, pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron, ended with the New Popular Front, a four-party alliance of left-green parties winning the most seats in parliament but falling short of a majority.

The largest party in the alliance, France Unbowed, is led by Melenchon.

Celebrating their election victory, Melenchon indicated their readiness to form a government, declaring, “We will have a prime minister from the New Popular Front.”

Melenchon highlighted the potential for taking important decisions “by decree” both at the national and international level, and stressed that recognizing the State of Palestine would be one of their first actions “as soon as possible.”

In a closely contested second round, left-wing groups and supporters of President Emmanuel Macron tacitly teamed up against the right-wing group.

However, no alliance achieved the absolute majority needed to form a government independently.

Macron’s Together for the Republic alliance won 150 seats, while the far-right National Rally won 125 seats.

The absence of an absolute majority, namely 289 deputies in parliament, requires collaboration between various political parties and alliances to form a new government.

The formation of this government will depend on the New Popular Front’s ability to form a coalition with centrist parties without internal divisions.

Recognizing the State of Palestine was a key promise of the New Popular Front during their campaign, reflecting their stance on international issues and commitment to changing French foreign policy.

The election results mark a significant shift in France’s political landscape, with a left-wing alliance poised to influence the country’s future direction.

(she)