The outgoing Olivier Faure and his rival Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol each claimed, on the night of Thursday to Friday, to have won the ballot designating the next First Secretary of the PS.
Who will be the new First Secretary of the Socialist Party? The vote of the members of the PS was to decide between this Thursday the deputy and outgoing First Secretary Olivier Faure and the mayor of Rouen Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol. On the night of Thursday to Friday, the two camps claimed to be in the lead.
Olivier Faure says he won the ballot. “Socialist activists have expressed this evening by a clear vote their desire to continue the rally of the left and environmentalists by ensuring that I am the one who leads this great formation that is the PS”, he said. in a statement broadcast live on the Party’s social networks.
“An attempt at trumpification”
“Have no doubts. We have won. They can’t come back any further. We are simply facing an attempt to destabilize and trumpise our friends. I am appalled by this choice which is not up to par or the moment nor of the great democratic party that we are”, wrote a few tens of minutes earlier the outgoing First Secretary to his supporters.
But the camp of Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol disputes and said to be ahead of the outgoing direction. The mayor of Rouen claimed to have gathered 52.4% of the votes, against 47.6% for Olivier Faure on 84% of the ballots counted.
“There is a favorable trend for us”, said the mayor of Rouen, who also requests “the cancellation of a certain number of results”, due to irregularities noted, in particular in the section of Liévin (about 300 voice), reports AFP.
David Assouline, senator from Paris and supporter of Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, also indicated that “massive irregularities” took place as soon as the polls opened at 5 p.m. in several federations.
“The votes are not fully counted and there is no indication at this stage that you have won…far from it. Maybe that’s why you don’t give any figures. What a shame for our party!” wrote on Twitter Vincent Duchaussoy, Federal Secretary of Seine-MAritime and support of the mayor of Rouen.
Both sides are already promising to file appeals. A commission for checking the results must meet to confirm the results.
The future of Nupes at stake
The winner will be officially inducted at the 80th Congress of the Socialist Party, which will be held in Marseilles from January 27 to 29. The result could have consequences for the agreement concluded in May 2022 for the legislative elections with LFI, EELV and the PCF.
Olivier Faure defends his strategy of an “exclusive” left alliance, the only way according to him to block the right and the far right in 2027.
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, more reserved on this agreement, does not hide his reluctance vis-à-vis the party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He has the support of the third candidate, the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin Hélène Geoffroy, clearly hostile to Nupes, recalls AFP.
