Front Européen as a progressive alternative: Interview with Marie-Julie Jacquemot, candidate for Volt France
This week, we hosted Marie-Julie Jacquemot, Volt's French candidate for the 6th constituency of French citizens in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and François Aubriot, her deputy, in Zurich. Together we discussed the shift to the right in the European Parliament as well as Macron's decision to dissolve the parliament and the challenges this poses for France and therefore also for the EU.
When asked whether Volt France was not competing with the Front Populaire (left-wing alliance) with its candidacy for the Front Européen and thus strengthening the extreme right in France, Marie-Julie explained that Volt had made the choice of responsibility by running in constituencies where the extreme right had little chance of making it to the second round of voting. Volt France has only one thousandth of the members and activists of the new Front Populaire and is running in 4% of constituencies with extremely limited financial resources. Volt's strategy for the elections can be summarised in two sentences: maximum votes for the pro-European forces in the first round, maximum votes against the extreme right in the second round.
"We see ourselves as progressive and pragmatic, always looking for the best solutions for citizens, in line with our values and far removed from extremes. With Volt, we are building this necessary alternative: We want to tackle our common problems at European level, including with non-EU countries such as Switzerland! That's why we at Volt are contesting these elections with our own list," she continues.
We are looking forward to the results and wish Volt France and its candidates every success in the elections.