Philippe Poutou (born 17 March 1967) is a French far left political figure and trade unionist, and worker in a car factory.
He is secretary of the General Confederation of Labour at the Ford Motor Company in the région of Aquitaine, and is a worker in that industry. In 2007, he played a leading role in union negotiations with the company over the potential axing of 2000 jobs, and was a union spokesman to the media.[1][2]
He led the Revolutionary Communist League in the 2007 legislative election, where it obtained 2.7% of the vote (and no seats in the National Assembly), then led its successor party, the New Anticapitalist Party, during the 2010 regional elections in his home region of Aquitaine. He obtained 2.52% of the vote.[1][2]
In June 2011, he was chosen by the New Anticapitalist Party as its candidate for the 2012 presidential election. Media noted that he was virtually unknown to the public, and that he might find it difficult to succeed previous candidate Olivier Besancenot, a well recognised figure popular beyond the party itself. He would, in addition, have to contend with divisions within the party over whether to engage more with the Left Front, with an aim to unify the political forces on the left of the centre-left Socialist Party.[1][2]
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