In Toulouse, Socialist candidate François Briançon (L) and La France Insoumise candidate François Piquemal (R) have joined forces to try to beat the right-wing incumbent. Toulouse, France, March 16, 2026. LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP
The name-calling between the French Socialists and their radical left-wing rivals La France Insoumise (LFI) is – almost – a thing of the past. The ultimatums, demands and doors slamming shut have all grown rarer. Following the first round of the municipal elections and after an exhausting night of negotiations, the Socialists and the Greens have formed alliances with LFI in many cities ahead of the second round. After weeks of intra-left conflict, electoral necessity brought the two sides to the negotiating table, where they buried the hatchet. On the surface, at least.
The Socialists agreed to take up LFI's leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon's "outstretched hand," after he spent several days calling for the formation of an "anti-fascist front" to counter the far right. President Emmanuel Macron's supporters and the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) have taunted the Socialist leadership for going back on their word. The Socialists had made an ambiguous promise to break with LFI following the fatal beating of a far-right activist by antifascists, who were allegedly members of a group close to the radical-left party, and the questionable wordplay by Mélenchon on Jewish surnames.
