Left Party (France)
Encyclopedia
The Left Party is a French
democratic socialist political party
. It seeks to emulate the German
political party Die Linke
led by Gesine Lötzsch
and Klaus Ernst
.
Senator Jean-Luc Mélenchon
and deputy Marc Dolez
and others dissidents of the party together with the MARS movement (Mouvement pour une Alternative Républicaine et Sociale - Movement for a Republican and Social Alternative).
They had left the PS five days earlier, in protest of the result of the Reims Congress
vote on motions, where the leftist motion they supported won only 19%.
They were joined after by other members from the left of the Socialist Party
, by people who hadn't been members of a political party before and by dissidents from the Green Party
following the deputy Martine Billard
.
Around ninety local elected officials (municipal, regional and general councillors), including two municipal councillors in Paris
, have also joined the party.
, CGT-FO, and Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens
.
In the 2009 European Parliament election
, the party will run as part of the Left Front
with the French Communist Party
and the Unitarian Left
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
democratic socialist political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. It seeks to emulate the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
political party Die Linke
The Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
led by Gesine Lötzsch
Gesine Lötzsch
Gesine Lötzsch [geˈsinə løːtʃ] is a German politician of the left-wing party Die Linke. She was elected president of Die Linke in 2010 ....
and Klaus Ernst
Klaus Ernst
Klaus Ernst is a left-wing German politician and was a leading member of the Labour and Social Justice Party and now The Left...
.
History
It was founded in November 2008 by former SocialistSocialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
Senator Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a French politician who served in the government of France as Minister of Vocational Education from 2000 to 2002. He was also a member of the Senate of France, representing the Essonne department...
and deputy Marc Dolez
Marc Dolez
Marc Dolez is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Nord department, and is a member of the Gauche démocrate et républicaine. A former Socialist, he was a founding member, with PS Senator Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of the Left Party.-References:...
and others dissidents of the party together with the MARS movement (Mouvement pour une Alternative Républicaine et Sociale - Movement for a Republican and Social Alternative).
They had left the PS five days earlier, in protest of the result of the Reims Congress
Reims Congress
The Reims Congress was the twenty-second national congress of the French Socialist Party , taking place from 14 to 16 November 2008 in the city of Reims in the Marne....
vote on motions, where the leftist motion they supported won only 19%.
They were joined after by other members from the left of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
, by people who hadn't been members of a political party before and by dissidents from the Green Party
The Greens (France)
The Greens were a Green political party to the centre-left of the political spectrum in France. They had officially been in existence since 1984, but their spiritual roots could be traced as far back as René Dumont’s candidacy for the presidency in 1974...
following the deputy Martine Billard
Martine Billard
Martine Billard is a French politician and députée, member of the Parti de Gauche.Martine Billard entered politics in May 1968 with the "comité d'action lycéen"...
.
Elected officials
- Deputies: Marc DolezMarc DolezMarc Dolez is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Nord department, and is a member of the Gauche démocrate et républicaine. A former Socialist, he was a founding member, with PS Senator Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of the Left Party.-References:...
, Jacques DesallangreJacques DesallangreJacques Desallangre is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Aisne department, and is a member of the Gauche démocrate et républicaine. Formerly a left-wing independent, he joined the new Left Party in November 2008.-References:...
, Martine BillardMartine BillardMartine Billard is a French politician and députée, member of the Parti de Gauche.Martine Billard entered politics in May 1968 with the "comité d'action lycéen"...
(Gauche démocrate et républicaineGauche démocrate et républicaineThe Democratic and Republican Left is a French parliamentary group in the 13th Assembly elected in 2007.This is the first time since the 1958-1962 legislature that the Communists have been unable to form an exclusive group of Communist deputies....
Group) - Senators: Marie-Agnès LabarreMarie-Agnès LabarreAgnès Labarre is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Essonne department. She is a member of the Communist, Republican, and Citizen Group. She is a member of the Left Party, prior to which she was a member of the PS. In November 1999 Labarre was elevated as a Chevalier in the Ordre...
, François AutainFrançois AutainFrançois Autain is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Loire-Atlantique department. He is a member of the Communist, Republican, and Citizen Group. He is a member of the Left Party, prior to which he was a member of the Citizen and Republican Movement but also the PS and the...
(Communist, Republican, Citizen, and Senators of the Left Party GroupCommunist, Republican, Citizen, and Senators of the Left Party GroupThe Communist, Republican, Citizen, and Senators of the Left Party Group is a French parliamentary group, one of six in the French Senate. It is the successor to the Communist Group. In November 2008, Jean-Luc Mélenchon left the Socialist Party and formed the Left Party...
) - MEPs: Jean-Luc MélenchonJean-Luc MélenchonJean-Luc Mélenchon is a French politician who served in the government of France as Minister of Vocational Education from 2000 to 2002. He was also a member of the Senate of France, representing the Essonne department...
Around ninety local elected officials (municipal, regional and general councillors), including two municipal councillors in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, have also joined the party.
Action
The party has met with trade unions such as the Confédération générale du travail (CGT), Solidaires Unitaires DémocratiquesSolidaires Unitaires Démocratiques
The Solidaires or Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques is a French group of trade unions.-Political position:They tend to favor progressive or even radical views and work with the alter-globalization or anti-globalization movement....
, CGT-FO, and Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens
Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens
-External links:*...
.
In the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (France)
European elections to elect 72 French Members of the European Parliament were held on Sunday 7 June 2009.Due to the entry of Romania and Bulgaria in the European Union in 2007, the number of seats allocated to France was revised from 78 seats to 72 seats, a loss of 6 seats...
, the party will run as part of the Left Front
Left Front (France)
The Left Front is a French electoral coalition for the 2009 European elections composed primarily of the French Communist Party, the Left Party and the Unitarian Left...
with the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
and the Unitarian Left
Unitarian Left
Unitarian Left is a political party in France which used to be one part of a faction within the Revolutionary Communist League...
.
Popular support and electoral record
The PG has not yet ran independently in an election, so its base of support is hard to pin-point.European Parliament
| Election year | Number of votes | % of overall vote | # of seats won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 European Parliament election, 2009 (France) European elections to elect 72 French Members of the European Parliament were held on Sunday 7 June 2009.Due to the entry of Romania and Bulgaria in the European Union in 2007, the number of seats allocated to France was revised from 78 seats to 72 seats, a loss of 6 seats... |
1,115,021 | 6.47% | 1 |