«Kamala Harris did Hollande. » This November 6, in the wake of Donald Trump's victory in the American presidential election, Antoine Léaument, the LFI deputy for Essonne, does not miss the opportunity to transpose this result to this side of the Atlantic. “There is,” he continues, “a worry also in France that some want to follow this path to the left, a soft, flexible path which in the end brings the extreme right to power. »
Have the Insoumis found there a new angle of attack to continue to exercise their influence over the rest of the left? “It’s completely stupid,” complains this socialist MP. The election of Trump is a bounty of crazy. » And added: “The rebels are losing ground. » Olivier Faure, the boss of the PS, also reacted: “The time is not for moral lessons but for the affirmation of a project for France and the European Union. »
Still. This crushing defeat of the Democratic candidate can only call out to the Socialist Party where, behind the scenes, they are already preparing for the next congress in January. “Yes, there is a pre-congress atmosphere,” confirms this party executive. And for good reason. With the presidential election almost two and a half years away, the necessary motion will play a central role in 2027.
“He is in the campaign”
However, if pressure is mounting within the PS, it is also because the party must deal with the return of the one who never left: François Hollande. Thanks to the dissolution, the former head of state represented himself in his stronghold of Corrèze where he was re-elected as a deputy in July. Certainly, the risk of an RN victory was not unrelated to his candidacy, but the explanation is a little short. “Yes, he is campaigning for 2027,” says this PS deputy.
“A defeat for Olivier Faure would show that there is again space at center left”
From this perspective, the January congress appears strategic. Not to see him take back control of the PS. But to dismiss Olivier Faure, the great architect of the alliance with La France insoumise by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. A line with which François Hollande and the social democrats – Bernard Cazeneuve, Stéphane Le Foll and Carole Delga – intend to break.
A position shared by Raphaël Glucksmann. While he too calls for a clear break with LFI, he has above all begun to structure his Place publique movement with a view to 2027. When he returned to school, at the beginning of October in La Réole, in Gironde, he brought together a number of socialists around him. Proof that it does not leave one indifferent even if it is still far from appearing as a remedy. “He is interesting but he has never dealt with local realities,” observes this PS deputy. Translation: just like Emmanuel Macron.
“We don’t care”
Still. In an interview with “Sud Ouest” in September, François Hollande called on the leadership of the PS not to ignore the MEP: “Let's have an opening congress with Bernard Cazeneuve, Raphaël Glucksmann… Let's have a congress which gives the socialists a capacity of action and autonomy, particularly in relation to LFI. » He would have liked to invite Olivier Faure to turn the page and he could not have gone about it better… The new deputy for Corrèze assumes it: “My objective is to strengthen the reformist pole and to broaden it, including to disappointed with macronism. »
“Let’s have a congress that gives socialists a capacity for action and autonomy in relation to LFI”
The Macronists precisely. They too intend to closely observe this PS congress. “We don’t care at all,” confirms this Renaissance deputy. A defeat for Olivier Faure would show that there is again space at center left. This could encourage connections. » The – a few – deputies from the left wing of the central bloc do not hide their difficulties in supporting this government of Michel Barnier and even more so his Minister of the Interior, the very right-wing Bruno Retailleau.
Proof of their questions, discussions are underway on the creation of a social-democratic group in the Assembly which would welcome these deputies in break with the end of “at the same time”. “Yes, we are still discussing,” confirms this Macronist parliamentarian. If such a rupture occurred within the central bloc, would it comfort François Hollande? “He is planning towards 2027,” notes this Renaissance deputy. It is not essential to the PS, but it is a voice that has never been extinguished, it is an identified voice. »
However, the break with LFI is still far from over. A new dissolution in a year cannot be ruled out, who will take the risk of breaking up the NFP alliance? Which could only lead to a deadly struggle on the left. “What we need,” sighs this PS deputy, “is to invent the post-Macron, the post-Mélenchon, the post-Hollande era. »
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