The mainly clandestine activities in the early 1970s changed with the 1974 presidential elections. Some democratic demands for the army were raised, including a soldiers union. Collaboration with workers committees, to make room for soldiers committees. In 1975, the Chirac campaign denounces a 'plot' against the army and all soldiers committees were dispersed. In this context, Bensaïd mentions the organisational problems and "two big" mistakes. First one being the election campaign of 1978, where the party prepared a programme with a strategical planning for future in the case of a victory of the left. Bensaïd underlines that the plan did not correspond with what the militants did at the time - "a big difference between what you plan and what people do". Second mistake was, according to him, the position regarding the question of leadership.
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