Raphaël Glucksmann, the man who revived France’s centre-left

Sonya CIESNIK
·1-min read

Raphaël Glucksmann, co-founder of the centre-left Place Publique party, emerged from a surprisingly strong showing in the June 9 European elections to find himself a key member of a new leftist alliance in France – one hastily forged to battle the far-right party leading in polls ahead of snap elections called by President Emmanuel Macron. But while the left might be demonstrating a newfound unity, Glucksmann has come under fire for striking a deal with a hard-left faction that has been accused of anti-Semitism and being soft on Russia.

Days ahead of the first round of snap parliamentary elections in France on June 30, the political world is holding its breath.

Polls show the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) party on track to win 35.5 percent of the vote – far outpacing the New Popular Front leftist coalition with 29.5 percent and just 19.5 percent for Ensemble (Together), which includes Macron's party.

That a broad, hastily formed leftist alliance is a solid 10 points ahead of the Macron coalition is an extraordinary showing, given years of torpidity on France’s political left.

The moderate left was rendered mute, outdone by more strident voices from Mélenchon, Macron and the National Rally on the extreme right.


Read more on FRANCE 24 English

Read also:
France’s new left-wing alliance unveils ambitious economic programme – and how they'll pay for it
French MEP Glucksmann joins left-wing union New Popular Front, vows clear stance on Gaza, Ukraine
A fledgling party emerges from the ashes of the French left

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • ‘This wasn’t a debate, it was a medical emergency’: Our writers give their verdicts

    Follow the latest reaction in our live blog

  • Donald Trump is going to turn Starmer’s Britain into an international laughing stock

    Grandfather Robert Blackstock, a retired engineer from Nottinghamshire, became the “Brenda from Bristol” of this election campaign when he asked Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer during Wednesday night’s TV debate: “Are you two really the best we’ve got to be the next prime minister of our great country?”

  • Did Nigel Farage blow himself up in the BBC Question Time election special? Our writers react

    It was finally Nigel Farage’s time to appear before a BBC Question Time audience this evening, more than a week after Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer had theirs. The Reform UK leader took the podium in the same hour as a Green Party representative, Adrian Ramsay. Yet only one of these men has excited reaction from our writers.

  • A grinding Russian assault appears telling about Putin's plan to defeat Ukraine

    ISW's conflict experts warned that the West must "challenge Putin's belief that he can gradually subsume Ukraine."

  • A Labour landslide would leave the UK unrecognisable

    Until now, Sir Keir Starmer has carefully hidden the Labour Party’s radical, hard-Left agenda from the public. But on the brink of the largest majority in nearly a century, his mask has slipped.

  • Joe Biden cannot run again

    After Thursday night’s debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, held on terms considered by many to be favourable to the current President, there is only one conclusion that it is possible to draw: Mr Biden should not run again for the US presidency in November.

  • Let’s be clear where blame for this Tory disaster really lies

    ‘Good-morning, good-morning!’ the General said When we met him last week on our way to the line ... “He’s a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.

  • Jill Biden has the fate of the world in her hands

    Now might be a good time for Dr Jill Biden, the First Lady, to have a rummage around in the back of the wardrobe for one particular item of clothing. When Joe Biden opted against running for president in 2004, his decision was underlined by his wife’s decision to wear a halter top with the word “NO” scrawled on her stomach.

  • Reform takes three point lead over Tories in shock poll

    Reform has been dogged by allegations over racism, misogyny, homophobia and support for Hitler and Putin but a poll has put them three points ahead of the Tories

  • Opinion: SOS to Clinton and Obama: You Can End the Biden Nightmare after That Debate

    I woke up yesterday morning and started making calls.I had a 7.30 p.m. appearance on CNBC and a question to answer on a loosely floated topic: Do debates matter any more? I dialed national and local reporters, strategists, analysts, campaign veterans, winners and losers, Republicans and Democrats alike.All had the same basic answer. This far out from election day, unless there is a major gaffe or a major punch landed, it’ll be forgotten within 48 hours—maybe less, given our proximity to the July

  • Russia is losing 1,000 soldiers a day in its relentless 'meat grinder' tactics against Ukraine: report

    Russian troops are being used in head-on assaults on Ukrainian positions.

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene Melts Down Over Australian TV’s Trump Question, Gets Cut Off

    “What is this?” fumed the far-right Georgia Republican, who suggested the anchor was getting her “marching orders from the Democrat Party.”

  • Biden is a danger to the West

    We think we have problems in the UK with the apparent lack of statesmen or women to run this country, but Joe Biden’s abject performance last night in the “debate” with Donald Trump is a worry not just for the US and the UK but the whole planet. What on earth will Vladimir Putin and the other evil tyrants around the globe be making of the leader of the only global superpower? The US president struggled to string a sentence together despite days of preparation, and seems to want the golf course r

  • Putin hints Russia to start making previously banned missiles

    Russia should start producing previously banned midrange missiles, President Vladimir Putin said Friday, as Moscow warned the United States that drone reconnaissance flights over the Black Sea risked a "direct" military clash.The United States routinely carries out drone flights over the Black Sea, which it says are conducted in neutral airspace and in accordance with international law.

  • Vladimir Putin’s latest escalation has hit far too close to home

    Russian hackers have caused chaos in the NHS and put patients in danger. This month, one of the most serious cyber attacks we have ever faced hit London hospitals and GP surgeries by locking pathology service providers out of their own IT systems. This has forced more than 1,100 operations to be postponed, including cancer treatments and organ transplants. Thousands of outpatient appointments have been cancelled and vast numbers of patients’ records stolen, some of which have been published on t

  • Who will you vote for in the general election? Yahoo readers have their say

    With just a week to go until the general election, Yahoo readers have backed Reform UK over the two leading parties.

  • Who won the debate? Snap poll results following first Trump-Biden presidential square off

    Large majority of registered voters told CNN that the Republican beat the president in first debate

  • Russia warns it can take unspecified measures in response to US drone flights over Black Sea

    Russia's defense minister ordered officials to prepare a “response” to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the ministry said Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry noted a recent “increased intensity” of U.S. drones over the Black Sea, saying they “conduct intelligence and targeting for precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian military by Western countries for strikes on Russian facilities.” It noted that “such flights significantly increase the probability of incidents involving Russian military aircraft, which increases the risk of direct confrontation between the alliance and the Russian Federation.”

  • Tory members could lose final say over new party leader

    Conservative party members could lose their final say over who becomes Tory leader as senior figures weigh up whether to change the rules if they suffer an election defeat.

  • Labour ‘not putting up fight against Farage in Clacton’

    Labour has been accused of “not putting up a fight” against Nigel Farage in Clacton after its candidate was ordered to leave the constituency.