“The situation is untenable” between defenders of a strict revolutionary line and supporters of a “broader and more unitary” vision of the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA), said Philippe Poutou, the NPA candidate in the last three presidential elections, on Friday. . .
“We can no longer continue to be a party with two different political lines. Internal struggles, both organizational and political, harm the party. Separation may seem like a solution,” added the leader of the small far-left party.
“It’s the result of a very difficult general policy: we take the hits, we can’t win, we step back and it’s confrontation with power, Macron style,” he said on BFMTV on Friday night.
This “clan war” has been going on for years. In the party, some colleagues hate each other and these personal resentments have brought the party to the brink of implosion. Now there are two possible paths: either we reach an agreement, or we separate. up,” said a party delegate who preferred to remain anonymous.
Ultimatum for Saturday
The ultimatum is set for Saturday, during the NPA congress that is taking place this weekend at the Saint-Denis Labor Exchange, four years after the last party congress.
Philippe Poutou and Olivier Besancenot, another former party presidential candidate, followed by a narrow majority of members, opt for a “radical left that can work with LFI.”
“We agree on certain actions and issues defended by the Nupes. We have every interest in carrying out actions together. Like it or not, Mélenchon is today the representative of the left,” says Julien, 39.
“The party’s choice to support Nupes after the presidential elections was not the correct one. We believe that we should have continued supporting Poutou for the legislative elections and assert our ideas. If we are forced to part ways, it will be the end of the El NPA as it exists today,” replied Damien Scali, spokesman for Philippe Poutou’s campaign during the 2022 presidential elections. 45% of the 2,000 NPA members are of the same opinion.
The “dialogue of the deaf”
“It was not visible from the outside but in reality there were several campaigns during the elections this year. There are those who only want to work with Lutte Ouvrière, and those in favor of a more open party”, summed up Julien Salingue, head of the party. press officer
Beyond the internal opposition to the political line of the NPA, the militants have been “embarked for years in a dialogue of the deaf” due to “a construction of the party that brings together various factions that never communicate with each other,” reported a deputy. . management
Philippe Poutou had obtained 0.8% of the vote, or nearly 270,000 voters, during the April presidential election.
Source: BFM TV
