The Socialist Party is taking a first step towards the presidential election: its activists chose on Thursday July 9 the method of nominating their candidate, inflicting a defeat on Olivier Faure, whose option of an open primary was not retained. And by further burying the option of the left’s unitary primary.
The activists were called on Thursday to vote on the perimeter of the primary of the socialist space, an issue on which Olivier Faure and his opponents are torn apart. Two proposals were put to the vote. Both recognized that there will be a primary of the social democratic arc (mainly the PS and Place publique), which will be held in October, but differed on the electorate.
The first secretary proposed that the vote be open to socialist “sympathizers” (for a contribution of two euros), so that the electorate would be as broad as possible. The deputy for Seine-et-Marne wants the winner to then participate in a unified primary of the left outside the LFI with the Ecologists and the former Insoumis Clémentine Autain and François Ruffin.
His opponents, the first of whom is the leader of the deputies Boris Vallaud, long his ally, are opposed to this unitary primary. They proposed the nomination of a candidate simply by the “activists” of the PS and “political organizations recognizing themselves as part of the socialist pole”, such as Place publique by Raphaël Glucksmann.
And it was this more closed option which won, with 55.5% of the votes, indicated the PS on the night of Thursday to Friday. A logical result, taking into account the balance of power of the last congress, the opponents of Olivier Faure being the majority in the rose party since Boris Vallaud and his current joined them.
“The nominated candidate will propose the gathering to all parties of the democratic, ecological and republican left in order to build together a common program, a legislative agreement and a government contract,” indicates the PS in a press release, adding that “an interparty committee will regulate the voting and candidacy arrangements.”
In a statement, Boris Vallaud welcomed “a very clear choice”. “The first secretary must hear it and change his method. We must now head towards the presidential election,” he said. “We propose to meet in the coming days all the organizations of the socialist pole,” said Olivier Faure’s opponents in a press release.
How many candidates?
Can this result call into question the mandate of Olivier Faure, already in the minority in the socialist group in the Assembly on the question of censorship this week? “This is not a referendum for or against me, this evening it is a strategic choice between expanding, opening the windows (…) or remaining behind closed doors between activists,” assured Thursday before the vote the person concerned, who rules out resigning.
If this “closed session” was confirmed, “we are taking the same risk as in 2022”, when Anne Hidalgo ended up with 1.75% of the vote, a faurist was alarmed upstream. For the moment, the only declared candidate for this primary of socialists and related parties is the deputy for Eure Philippe Brun, since the mayor of Saint-Ouen Karim Bouamrane has announced a candidacy outside the primary.
The deputy for Essonne Jérôme Guedj, another socialist candidate announced for the presidential election, could possibly participate. But it is the applications of the heavyweights that will be watched. Raphaël Glucksmann, founder of Place publique, is the favorite in the polls in the social-democratic space and the champion of some of Olivier Faure’s opponents.
In the pre-campaign, the MEP could hardly take part in the race for the Élysée without the support of the socialist apparatus, its activists and its elected officials. But he has not yet said whether he accepts a primary, even reserved for activists only. Olivier Faure has not yet communicated on his decision to be a candidate. But “it would not be illegitimate for me to be,” he said.
Boris Vallaud “wants to get into a fight”. Former President of the Republic François Hollande refuses to submit to a primary, positioning himself as a recourse at the end of the year if the PS is still in an impasse. Because on the left, the LFI candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, on good momentum since his campaign launch, seems to have taken a step ahead of his competitors.
