Xavier Garcia (Socialist Party)
Because these elections are European, the results are disappointing. The social democrats had the opportunity to surpass the European People’s Party (right-wing), and unfortunately, the objective was not achieved due to the weakness of the German SPD and the French PS.
On a national level, there are major losers. Firstly, the Republicans who collapse and have no possibility of alliance, except with En Marche. The other big loser is JL Mélenchon. His strategy of rupture and his verbal aggression have been penalized by a collapse that makes possible again a union of the left.
The winners are also easy to identify: the RN of course, which wins its announced duel with the presidential party, and the Greens who, as everywhere in Europe, achieve a very good score. I would also classify LREM among the winners. Emmanuel Macron managed to establish his strategy, that of a mano a mano with the RN, and even if he lost it, LREM is holding up well for a party in power, we must be honest enough to admit it.
Finally, there is a survivor: the Socialist Party. It would be incongruous to classify us among the winners, given our current position, and yet, we regain hope this evening because, although we are still recovering from the 2017 disaster, we have proven that we are still standing. The road is still long and the hardest part—the union of the left and the ecologists—remains to be done, but it remains collectively our only salvation. This is the task of gathering that I will undertake in the coming weeks in view of the municipal elections.
Hervé Cael (Radical/Social-Liberal Party)
The fight against far-right extremism is a long-term battle.
This evening, in a historically difficult moment for Europe, the Radical Movement wants to commend the surge in mobilization among the French, which shows that our democracy is still alive. With a strong increase across Europe, the participation of European citizens marks the awakening of a new European consciousness, and the Radicals welcome this.
In the face of the resounding failure of the former big parties, the unprecedented coalition project that we have led with LREM, Modem, Agir, the ecologists, and civil society, is the only political force promoting a peaceful, open, social, and ecological Republic.
The rise of populists is not a novelty. We must continue our fight against the feeling of abandonment felt by a large part of our fellow citizens, by prioritizing investment in the regions, with local authorities that must have the real means and capabilities to act to bring back social justice.
It is by relying more on local initiatives that we will succeed in preventing the formation of two irreconcilable Frances.
