Influence on the Margins: France’s Far Left

Abstract

In relative terms at least, the far Left in France is both vigorous and influential. Its diverse groupings have votes, active members, and excellent networks. France was the only EU member state to send Deputies of the extreme Left — five of them, out of a total French contingent of 87 — to the European parliament after the 1999 elections. In the previous year, 27 candidates of the far Left were elected to French regional councils. Current far Left militants are active in all manner of social movements, both traditional (strikes by rail or postal workers, or nurses) and more innovative (movements for the unemployed, the homeless, or clandestine immigrants). Many of their predecessors, of the generation of May 1968, are safely installed in senior positions in mainstream political parties and the media.