The continuing disarray on the left ahead of the presidential election is a sorry spectacle that is reminiscent that France itself is very much a part of the Francafrique, especially central Africa, the most politically backwards subregion in the world.
Indeed, in Central Africa, as in the French left, the jockeying for position among the flatlining candidates of the left has become a fractious sideshow where a group of egotistical and selfish politicians starting with Christine Taubira, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo – also a Socialist – France Unbowed’s veteran hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the Green candidate, Yannick Jadot, and an assortment of fringe figures. None of the candidates has managed to break through the 10% barrier in polls and none has a chance of making it through to the second round of voting.
Yet all remain in the race, vying to take votes from each other
“Singing tomorrows” have given way to a cacophonous clashing of stubborn egos. The result is that the 30% or so of voters who identify as being on the broad left are being effectively disfranchised.
As with our politicians, in Central Africa, faced with formidable structural challenges, the French left does not understand that they cannot afford the luxury of endless infighting and self-indulgent campaigns leading to mutually assured destruction at the polls which has always be a recipe for disaster in term of the perpetuation of regressive governments.
A reminder that all these politicians just want a seat at the “mangeoire” and have no intend to change the political system inherited from the fifth republic. Hence, this kind of authoritarian regime always prospers when politicians pretending to be from the opposition always forget who they should be representing.
Indeed, it is high time to get rid of this election and move away from this presidential regime which was concocted after the 4th politically unstable Republic and in the midst of the divisive decolonization period. It was made for one man only, de Gaulle, and should be abolished for a more parliamentary Republic with a reformed voting system. At least, it is my very earnest opinion.
By Olivier J. Tchouaffe, PhD, Spokesman of The CL2P and Fellow member of The CL2P Institute (ICL2P)
