Raphaël Glucksmann Charente campaign committee launch, Digi Mart USA News (Saint-Adjutory, Charente, France): On Sunday, about thirty activists and supporters of Place Publique gathered in the modest function room in Saint-Adjutory to discuss the presidential project of Raphaël Glucksmann, winner of the Social Democratic primary. The meeting marked the official start of the Charente campaign committee for the left-wing candidate.
Discussions among local figures of the left, including Thibaut Simonin, Fabienne Godichaud and Simon Déforge, focused on secularism, ecology, the commodification of healthcare and social justice. According to Alexandre Pérez, co-referent of Place Publique in Charente, the aim was to present the first main axes of Raphaël Glucksmann’s presidential project, including what he described as the new French patriotic contract, which would reclaim the national flag from the National Rally and promote pride in being French.
Pérez also cited the goal of rethinking the social contract and the emancipation of citizens. Aurélie Zadra, also a co-referent, said the ambition, five months before the presidential election, was to win back rural areas that, in her view, should not be reserved for the far right.
She said 80% of the party’s members come from rural areas.
Pérez acknowledged that Place Publique is often labeled as Parisian bohemians, but said its roots in the regions are real, while admitting that the party tends to intellectualize issues in its effort to engage in dialogue. Simon Déforge, the regional referent, said the ambition was to avoid simplistic solutions and reject constant emotional appeals.
He noted growing support for the citizens’ party in the region and in Charente, where 145 active members are now counted in the department, a figure he said had tripled since the left-wing primary last October.
