Welcome to The Inquiry. I'm Charmaine Cozier, each week four expert witnesses, one question,

and an answer.

It's May 2012. Francois Hollande is celebrating. He's just been sworn in as president of France.

In the weeks to come, a separate election to choose lawmakers will put his centre-left

socialist party in control of both houses of parliament. Fast forward 10 years to now,

and it's a totally different story for left-wing parties as France heads towards

presidential elections this April.

Polls suggest President Macron is on course for another five years in power. They also reveal

far-right parties as second most popular. Meanwhile, the left, well, it's languishing.

It's many candidates are trailing way behind or polling in single figures.

It's days as an effective political movement appear to be numbered. So this week we're asking

what's happened to the left in France?

Part 1. Lost in France

Since 1962, the left has won only three out of nine presidential contexts, which is not

much, so it's not an easy election to win.

Philippe Marlier is a professor of French and European politics at University College in London.

In order to understand what's going on with the left in France, we need to know what it covers.

The Social Democratic Party, which has a government France on a number of occasions,

which gave France a couple of presidents, Francois Mitterrand and Francois Hollande.

The left also includes breakaway politicians who form their own parties.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon was once a member of the socialist party left it a few years ago to

launch a new party. It's now called unbound France, La France Insoumise,

...