For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Elisabeth Borne is “liberal to the core”. Guest of the RTL-LCI-Le Figaro Grand Jury, the boss of La France insoumise was ironic about the comments presenting the new Prime Minister as coming from the left. “[Élisabeth] Borne has an extremely extensive social abuse record. I’m not impugning his intentions. I think she’s a consistent woman. I respect her. She is liberal through and through and she goes to the end of her logic,” said the leader of the New People’s Ecological and Social Union (Nupes).
To justify himself, Jean-Luc Mélenchon recalled the record of the new head of government when she was Minister of Labor. He notably mentioned the abolition of the “status of railway workers” or the fact that it “changed the unemployment benefit system”.
“There are times when it’s good that there are checks […], but that’s not the answer,” he said. Before denouncing what he considers to be the indirect financing of the agri-food industry. “The public treasury feeds the private treasury. […] I am for the price freeze,” he recalled, insisting on finding the solution that will stop “the inflationary spiral”, in particular on fuels and energy prices.
On a personal level, Jean-Luc Mélenchon repeated on Sunday that he “did not want” to be a candidate for the next presidential election, scheduled for 2027. He considered “to be a hell of a candidate”. “A year ago, I was thought to be dead by talking about my damaged image and the left in pieces. And then we came out with 22% [21.95% of the vote, according to official figures, editor’s note] ”, he hammered in reference to the last campaign.
The leader of Nupes claims to have “rehabilitated the left”. Despite this, he indicates that he is not “a candidate for eternity”. “Things also have to fall into place at some point or another,” he said of his estate. Before evoking, again, his wish to be “the next Prime Minister”, after the legislative elections. “That’s enough to ask me,” he concluded.
