Municipal and presidential elections: how the PCF wants to link local and national union

One thing after another. The PCF national council, meeting this Saturday in Paris, is calling for unity in preparation for 2026. Pierre Lacaze, the head of the elections, calls in his report "not to skip over the municipal elections in favor of the presidential elections" and deplores a "division situation in many cities." He calls for "pressure to be put on so that, where we govern together, we leave together."

During the debate on this topic, the Communists also emphasized that a successful 2026 election would serve future elections well. This is especially true since " the far right is making these municipal elections a goal for successful territorial integration ." The French Communist Party (PCF) thus validated 200 leaders in the largest cities, with the mission of uniting the left on projects to defend public services.

But, beyond the municipal elections, the communist leadership also debated the presidential election. "Those who think that the left will win the 2027 elections without seeking to convince more broadly, to exceed 25%, but simply by launching into a primary of candidates , sacrificing substance and ideas, are seriously mistaken," Fabien Roussel argued in his introduction . An allusion to the meeting for a joint candidacy of the left which took place on July 2 in Bagneux (Hauts-de-Seine) with the PS, the Ecologists, l'Après and Génération.s.

The PCF had declined Lucie Castets ' invitation last Monday, refusing to trivialize the division in the municipal elections, while deeming it premature to commit to a single candidate before reaching a programmatic agreement. "If we had been present at the press conference, we would have been the only ones to say no to a primary," argues the national secretary of the PCF. These criticisms were shared on Saturday, but which did not prevent several national councilors from regretting the absence of the Communist Party from this initiative.

Reporting on the point of view of activists at a meeting in Puy-de-Dôme, Laetitia Pointu regrets "the empty chair policy" practiced on July 2 and invites us to "take into account the obsession of the left-wing electorate not to be disqualified in the second round of the presidential election." Taking the example of the anti-fascist gathering in Montargis , Bruno Nottin argues that "major unitary initiatives allow for a better deployment of communist militancy" and warns: "If the unionist mayonnaise takes hold, all those who do not take it into account will be swept away." The departmental secretary of Finistère, Ismaël Dupont, hopes that "the PCF will participate in the construction of paths, even steep ones, to escape the announced scenario of the victory of the extreme right."

The non-participation has been put into perspective by others. Regional councillor for Brittany, Gladys Grelaud, believes that "it is being discussed in political circles" , but not in the activist and non-activist meetings she held this week . She notes the difficulty in "having the political forces that appear united in Paris take photos together in the cities" for the municipal elections.

Others predict that the initiative could fail when the Socialist Party is fully faced with the dilemma of a Raphaël Glucksmann candidacy. But a united demand exists even among those who shared the refusal to support the initiative. "What is at stake behind this debate is knowing what the Communist Party is doing to create a unifying dynamic," analyzes Arthur Lalan of the Somme federation. "Dialogue with all the forces is maintained to define the best strategies nationally and locally," informs Fabien Roussel .

"Our intention is not to back down from our ambition to build a perspective for 2027, to build a unifying candidacy, a common candidacy," he explains, believing that within this framework, the PCF, like other forces, can put forward a "candidacy to serve the unifying cause." But not within the framework of a primary on the one hand, and with the imperative of a strong content of "breaking with capitalism" on the other.

In order to foster dialogue with the French people and other left-wing forces, the Communist leadership adopted a resolution calling for mobilization against the budget, pension reform , the war economy, and environmental cutbacks. The text also sets ten programmatic objectives that form a pact "for a different future for France." Furthermore, the National Council set the date for the next PCF congress in the summer of 2026, after the municipal elections.