Convergences and Alternative (abbreviated as C&A) was a French political organization and member of the Left Front. C&A was initially created on May 17, 2009, as an internal faction of the NPA, aiming to forge an alliance between the

far left Far or FAR may refer to: Government * Federal Acquisition Regulation, US * Federal Aviation Regulations, US * Florida Administrative Register, US Military and paramilitary * Rebel Armed Forces (Spanish: '), a defunct guerilla organization ...

and the anti-liberal left. It left the NPA following the party's February 2011 congress and officially joined the Left Front in June 2011. After five years of existence, the Convergences and Alternative faction decided at its national meeting on February 7, 2014, to dissolve itself and integrate into the

Ensemble! Ensemble!, officially Ensemble – Movement for a Leftist, Ecologist, and Solidary Alternative (), is a French left-wing political party, defining itself as anti-capitalist, anti-racist, feminist and eco-socialist. It was launched in November ...

movement.

Initial objectives within the NPA

This faction was distinguished by its desire for alliances in both social struggles and electoral contexts with anti-liberal left groups. The main leaders of this faction came from a split in the Unir association and sought to organize within the NPA as an internal faction. Its members supported an electoral alliance with the PCF and the PG during the

2009 European Parliament election in France European Parliament elections were held in France on Sunday 7 June 2009 to elect the 72 French Member of the European Parliament, Members of the European Parliament. Due to the entry of Romania and Bulgaria in the European Union in 2007, the n ...

, aiming to unite "anti-capitalist and anti-liberal forces" without preconditions regarding relations with the PS or permanence of such alliances. After the failure of discussions with these parties, Convergences and Alternative campaigned for the NPA during those elections. At the time of its creation on May 17, 2009, Convergences and Alternative claimed a thousand supporters within the NPA. However, no internal vote ever confirmed this figure.

2011 NPA Congress and split

At the February 2011 NPA congress, the Convergences and Alternative faction supported Position 3, the most favorable to an electoral alliance with the Left Front. This platform received 27.20% of the votes from party membersVote of NPA members for the 1st Congress
February 8, 2011. and 26.4% from delegates. Following the congress, C&A decided to leave the NPA and establish itself as an autonomous organization, a choice confirmed during its national council meeting on April 8-9, 2011. The organization joined the Left Front for the

2012 French presidential election Presidential elections in France, Presidential elections were held in France on 22 April 2012 (or 21 April in some overseas departments and territories), with a second round Two-round system, run-off held on 6 May (or 5 May for those same territ ...

and participated in its first campaign rally on June 29, 2011.

Within the Left Front

In early 2013, Convergences and Alternative began a rapprochement process with the

Anticapitalist Left Anticapitalistas (, , ), known as Izquierda Anticapitalista (Anti-Capitalist Left, IA) until January 2015 and as Espacio Alternativo (Alternative Space, EA) from 1995 to November 2008, is a socialist political organisation that works as a confe ...

Unitary Left Unitary Left (''Gauche unitaire'', GU) was a political party in France that was originally faction (under the name ''Unir'' or Unite) within the Revolutionary Communist League. The party is led by Christian Picquet, a former member of the Re ...

, and other factions like the

FASE ''Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich'' is a contemporary dance choreography by Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, created in 1982 for two dancers to the phase music compositions of Steve Reich. ''Fase'' is De Keersm ...

and

The Alternatives ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

. A joint newsletter and discussion bulletin titled ''Trait d'union'' was launched in January 2013. This process culminated in the creation of the Ensemble movement in November 2013. At its national meeting on February 7, 2014, Convergences and Alternative decided to dissolve itself to integrate into "Ensemble!"

Initial objectives within the NPA

2011 NPA Congress and split

Within the Left Front

Notes and references

See also