Bierbaum on the French Local Elections: ‘When the left and green forces unite, they can sparkle a social and ecological transformation.’

Read the statement of the President of the Party of the European Left (EL), Heinz Bierbaum.

The European Left (EL) congratulates the French Communist Party (PCF), all its members and volunteers for this important electoral success at the second round of the 2020 municipal elections. From today the Communist Party will be a protagonist of the new coalitions and majorities that will rule the cities of Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Poitiers, and Nancy.

Heinz Bierbaum congratulates, in particular, the National Secretary of the French Communist Party Fabien Roussel, and Pierre Laurent, the Vice-President of the EL for the electoral result.

With its 223 mayors elected in the first round and its leading role during the second round, "the PCF proves to be an important actor of these victories. This result confirms us that there is a leftist alternative to this neoliberal system, which in France is represented by the President Emmanuel Macron", said Bierbaum.

"The actual system does not work except in preserving privileges and fostering inequalities, as this crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic shows. And even if the abstention has been high, the signal sent by the citizens is clear. When the Left and ecologists unite, they win because they can bring to the citizens what they need and want: a real change toward social and ecological policies", continues Bierbaum.

"The result of the elections in France shows us that the solidarity and unity of left-wing political forces are fundamental to the future of Europe because it can sparkle the necessary changes for a social and ecological transformation."

Originally published at the website of the Party of the European Left