The French presidential election's first round today produced a catastrophic result for the traditional parties of the Left. Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin got fewer than 16% of the vote, 1.5 points less than the fascistic nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen and 4 points behind Chirac. Eliminated from the May 5 runoff ballot (only the top two from the first round stay on the ballot), Jospin announced his withdrawal from political life. The French Communist Party's leader, Robert Hue, got a minuscule 3.5%, a fitting reward for his consistent support for Jospin's centrist policies throughout the five-year rule of the "Gauche Plurielle" cabinet. In contrast, the three Trotskyist candidates got more than 11% of the vote-about 6.5% for Arlette Laguiller (Lutte Ouvrière), 4.5% for Olivier Bésancenot (Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire) and 0.5% for Daniel Gluckstein (Parti des Travailleurs). The other two major leftist candidates, Noel Mamere (Verts) and Jean-Pierre Chévenement (Mouvement des Citoyens) each got slightly more than 5%, while Christiane Taubira (Radicaux de Gauche) less than 2%.
The lesson of this electoral disaster is clear--the immediate need for the broadest United Front of the Left on the basis of a militant, aggressive program. There must be no rallying behind Chirac "to block Le Pen." That would be like supporting Hindenburg "to block Hitler." The alternative is union behind a write-in candidate for the second round, whether or not French electoral law permits such votes to be counted. The indicated, indeed the only thinkable, candidate is José Bové, who is not only a principled, militant, totally independent leftist, but also, and by far, the most popular political figure in France. Bové might well win a majority on May 5, and in any case would be positioned to lead a united Left to victory over the discredited Chiraquiens in the June parliamentary elections and thus force the resignation of Chirac (whatever happens, Le Pen will certainly not be elected on May 5). But there is no time at all for delay. The French Left must pick itself up off the floor and get back in the ring within the next two or three days. Victory is more than possible, but not if *anyone's* sectarian posing gets in the way. Shane Mage "Thunderbolt steers all things." Herakleitos of Ephesos, fr. 64
