Jean-Luc Mélenchon before his interview by Bruce Toussaint on BFM-TV in Saint-Denis, Tuesday April 19, 2022. JEAN-CLAUDE COUTAUSSE FOR “THE WORLD” Jean-Luc Mélenchon does not intend to stop at his third place obtained during the first round of the presidential election. The “rebellious” candidate indeed, on Tuesday April 19, in front of the cameras of BFM-TV, launched an appeal to voters for the June legislative elections. “I ask the French people to elect me Prime Minister” by voting for a “majority of [députés] “rebellious” and members of the Popular Union,” he said. The one who gathered 21.95% of the vote on April 10, specified that he would run for this post regardless of the President of the Republic elected on Sunday evening. “I will be the prime minister, not by the favor of Mr. Macron or Mrs. Le Pen, but by the French who elected me”, he affirmed during his first speech since the evening of the first round. However, he reaffirmed that he did not want a single “rebellious” vote to be “given to Ms. Le Pen”, and stressed that the two candidates “are not of the same nature”. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Among Mélenchon’s supporters, the minority Macron ballot for the second round of the 2022 presidential election Impose cohabitation on the future winner of the ballot By this declaration of intent, Jean-Luc Mélenchon aims to impose a cohabitation on the future winner of the presidential election and thus wants to make the legislative elections of June 12 and 19 a “third round”. If this cohabitation “does not suit the president, he can leave, I will not go”, he warned, affirming that he wishes once in this position “to apply [son] programme”, because “it is the Prime Minister who signs the decrees”, he affirmed. “I do not negotiate with anyone”, he underlined, explaining not having responded to the call launched by Emmanuel Macron in the direction of the unsuccessful candidates of the first round, formulated on the evening of his qualification in the second round and since then. Contrary to what he was able to say at the start of his presidential campaign, Mr. Mélenchon launched: “There is not a mouse hole, there is a door which is there, you take it or you choose it. ‘other’, in an attempt to convince his previous adversaries. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Urban, young and popular, the contours of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s new electorate Gathering for the legislative elections around his program While negotiations for an alliance for the legislative elections have been launched at the from the first round by LFI with EELV, the PCF and the NPA and started on Monday, the deputy of Bouches-du-Rhône therefore called “all those who want to join the Popular Union to join us for this beautiful battle ” . He notably cited the NPA or even the centrist candidate Jean Lassalle, who obtained 3.13% of the votes in the first round of the ballot. Since this first round and their hegemonic position obtained on the left, the “rebellious” have proposed a union around their program and the movement of the People’s Union to other political forces. Their conditions: no more attacks on their movement and their leader and a distribution of the seats of deputies in proportion to the results obtained by each political formation during the first round of the presidential election. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Jean-Luc Mélenchon has the “keys” to an agreement on the left for the legislative elections From this alliance, the Socialists are for the moment excluded, since “the PS has been very clear”, by attacking Mr. Mélenchon throughout the campaign, said in an interview with the Sunday Journal (JDD) Mathilde Panot, leader of the group of “rebellious” deputies. “There will therefore be no discussions [avec les socialistes], and this refusal is final, ”she said. During his interview with BFM-TV, the outgoing deputy of Bouches-du-Rhône in any case did not want to say whether or not he would stand for re-election in June, indicating that his choice had not yet been made. . However, he argued that there is “no need to be an MP to be Prime Minister”. The World with AFP