French Greens divided
In the March 22 regional elections, France's two green parties polled 14.6% between them in the context of a large protest vote against the main parties of both left and right. The green vote surpassed the 13.9% of the neo-fascist National Front led by Jean-Marie Le Pen.
While the green movement has been slow developing in France, it now appears well established, if fractured. The two green parties, which seem evenly matched, are called the Greens (Les Verts) and Generation Ecologie.
The latter, founded 18 months ago, is led by Brice Lalonde, former leader of Friends of the Earth and now environment minister in the Socialist Party government. Lalonde is one of the most popular politicians in France. Generation Ecologie describes itself as a club, and is a cross-party alliance of green-minded politicians and public servants. It captured a little less than half of the green vote.
Les Verts, led by Antoine Waechter, is a more democratic grouping mainly responsible for current surge in support for green politics. Lalonde dismisses Les Verts as a group of "archaic leftists, unrealistic ecolos and delirious ayatollahs", while Waechter says Generation Ecologie is an opportunist operation to recapture the votes of disillusioned Socialist Party supporters.
Les Verts say Lalonde cost them representation in the European Parliament in 1984 when the fledgling party failed to win the necessary 5% of the vote, largely due to a competing ticket run by Lalonde.