French left-wing parties agree to form 'Popular Front' for parliament election

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00:00Seven months ago, when their previous alliance, known as the Nupes, imploded, it looked like

00:05France's left-leaning parties would never be able to agree.

00:09But now the socialists, the Greens, France en bas, and the French communist parties will

00:14now be referred to as the Popular Front.

00:17In a joint statement, the group declared a new page in history of France has been written.

00:22But some more negotiations may be in the cards.

00:25While France en bas has the largest number of outgoing MPs, the balance of power has

00:30shifted after the Socialist Party made significant gains in last Sunday's European elections.

00:36On Wednesday, left-leaning parties announced the distribution of constituencies.

00:40France en bas will have 229 candidates, the Socialist Party 175, the Greens 92, and finally

00:47the French Communist Party with 50.

00:50The question now is who will run for each seat.

00:53The next step will be ironing out the policy agreements and deciding on who is the leader.

00:58François Ruffin of France en bas has raised his hand.

01:01I feel capable and if there is a consensus to reach a name, I'm ready to take the role

01:07to transform people's lives.

01:09So has his party mate and former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

01:13But Mélenchon is considered a divisive figure and would be a controversial choice.

01:19If they can iron out their differences on the alliance holds, the Popular Front could

01:23become a contender to form a majority in the new French parliament.

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