A very tight score, nerves frayed by weeks of tense internal campaigning: Friday, the day after the election for first secretary, was enough for the Socialist Party to inflict a new crisis on itself.
A press release signed by the PS news service announced the victory of outgoing Olivier Farr early in the morning, with 50.83% (12,076 votes), or 393 votes more than his rival Rouen Nicolas Meyer-Rossignol’s mayor. (49.17 %, 11,683 votes).
The announcement was immediately challenged by Norman’s elected officials.
“The choice of fighters must be respected and the unity of the Socialist Party must be preserved. I ask that a verification commission be convened. Without it, no decision can be announced openly. I call for peace and unity. The French are watching us,” replied Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol on Twitter.
The party statement comes hours after both the candidates confirmed their winning sides.
“The PS seems to be cut in two, not by ideas, but by strategy. We all have a responsibility to find the way to the union”, summed up Valérie Rabault, PS deputy and supporter of Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, in a tweet.
“Although the Socialist Party has sent the total results of the confederations to confirm the victory of Olivier Faure, we demand a score of 54%, and we will prove it once the vote is free from all irregularities. The vote is on January 19,” supporters of the outgoing first secretary said in a statement on Friday.
It was just after 1:30 a.m. that both sides were accused of massive irregularities and each side won.
Activists “showed this evening, through a clear vote, their desire to continue the rally of the left and environmentalists,” promised Olivier Fauré on PS’s YouTube channel.
Reims Congress in 2008
In a short video posted on Twitter, the Norman elected official responded.
By way of explanation for such a difference, the respective entourages multiplied mutual accusations of organized fraud before midnight. Electoral observers are not authorized to enter the polling stations, to fill the ballot boxes, or to physically assault the LBEF (Seine-Maritime).
For history PS buffs, the episode evokes the Congress of Reims in 2008.
Ségolène Royal and Martine Aubry challenged the results step by step, with the latter being declared victorious after days of deliberation.
A new shock
Although the party did not mention it on Friday, a committee to verify the results is set to meet on Friday in the presence of representatives of the two candidates to scrutinize all the minutes of the results, according to the two camps. To verify the result, sectoral confederations were addressed.
The winner must be officially admitted to the Congress in Marseilles in a week.
This new chapter comes nine months after Ann Hidalgo’s disastrous presidential bid (1.7%).
The party won in June to save thirty of its deputies, at the expense of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a staunch critic of the Socialist Party, joining Nubs, led by Inzomis.
The final result will have the effect of this Nupes agreement concluded with the LFI, EELV and PCF, defended by Olivier Faure, the only way to prevent the right and extreme right in 2027.
Nicolas Mayer-Rosignol did not hide his reluctance against Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party. He has the support of a third candidate, Hélène Geoffroy, who is clearly hostile to Nupes.
This article was published automatically. Sources: ats / afp
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