For a long time, the Radical Left Party has been in favor of this solution. Jean-Michel Baylet, senator and president of the PRG, and Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg, PRG deputy, have furthermore submitted a bill on February 15, 2006, aiming to institutionalize the organization of primary elections, which would allow parties wishing to benefit from the means and control of the State.
With primaries, democracy would gain clarity and vigor. They would give each political formation the opportunity to defend its ideas and debate them publicly, while avoiding another “April 21”. They would also help democratize the process of selecting candidates for the Elysée, who would no longer be designated solely by party members but by all voters. This would provide exceptional popular support to the candidates thus chosen and strengthen their legitimacy.
The Italian left was able to present a single candidate thanks to this method. In France, this procedure could be implemented if citizens demand it…
This is why the PRG invites all those who recognize themselves in the values of the left to sign—like Christiane Taubira and Bernard Kouchner have already done—its national petition “For primary elections on the left.” It is already available on the website www.petition-primaires-a-gauche.com, while the paper version was distributed last Saturday, September 2, in front of Nice Etoile.
