French left is divided, weakened in presidential race

By SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The French left is running divided and weakened ahead of this year’s presidential vote in April. The main left-wing presidential candidates have rejected building any alliances with each other. An icon of the French left, Christiane Taubira, a staunch feminist and a champion of minorities, won the so-called “Popular Primary” on Sunday that was organized by left-wing supporters to unite their ranks. More than 392,000 people voted. Yet other key contenders said they wouldn’t listen to the outcome because they did not respect how the vote was set up. At least five main figures from the left and far-left are running for president in France, but polls predict none of them will reach the two-person presidential runoff.