The PCF, on every eve of elections and since many years already, we dare not speak of "conquest", it evokes the best hope for a "resistance". The municipal of March are yet addressed with a little less concern than usual. "This may be a point of support for bounce, even if this erase not the presidential (1.9). ", argues the National Secretary of the party, Marie - George Buffet. "It can consolidate what was still", nuance Alain Bocquet, spokesman of the members. To do this, Communist leaders rely on a climate unfavourable to the right, the agreements with the PS in many municipalities and the local anchoring of the mayors that remain them.
Regional party

Since the 2001 municipal bankruptcy, FCP appears more and more as a regional party implanted mainly in suburbs of Paris, in the Nord - Pas-de-Calais, Rhône and the Bouches. On 743 Commons still in its fold, only 36 exceed the 20,000 inhabitants. Agreements with the PS in the first round were therefore crucial to ensure a contingent of Communist municipal councillors throughout the country. "It is this mesh that makes a political force national or not, it is registered in the long term or not," says Marie-George Buffet.
She continues to appeal to the union, agrees: "overall, this is rather well spent.". "Could be tempted by the scorched earth policy but this was not the case," said Francois Hollande, who admits however that the PS did "gift or begging". In the Socialist cities, the Communists had often accept a revision to a decline in their numbers on the lists. In the communes of right considered winnable, PS does agreed behind the FCP only to Dieppe and Vierzon. Sète and Corbeil-Essonnes, the two parties will separately present in the first round.
Conflicting aspirations
There also and especially to manage the conflicting aspirations of the local troops in the municipalities run by the PCF. On the one hand, the ambitions of the Socialists, which highlights of the scores of their party in the presidential and legislative elections, have enough to play the back-up troops. On the other, the assurance of Communist mayors who, after resisting the "blue wave" of 2001 emphasize the premium to the outgoing "useful vote, we are". For the time being, the union should be in 29 cities on 36. But exceptions can do harm. "The rare cities that we lose are less threatened by right by the PS", explains Dominique Grador, responsible for sector elections. In fact, the right threatens to Aubagne (read below). However, the match will be played left with a certain handicap for the FCP to Denain (North), but at lower risk to Vaulx-en-Velin (Rhône) and Vitry (Val-de-Marne). The PCF - PS confrontation culminated in Seine-Saint-Denis, with at least 6 primary, Pierrefitte (box read), La Courneuve, Bagnolet, Aubervilliers (read below), Saint-Denis and Tremblay-France. "They are not all for the benefit of the PS", recognizes François Hollande. But a few substantial catches or tilting of the General Council is looking the Socialists "would take a terrible symbolic dimension", dixit a Communist framework.