The white smoke finally came out of the chimneys of the Pharo de Marseille, Saturday January 28. After a long night of discussions, the members of the different camps agreed on a new governance of the party.
According to this “collective governance pact”adopted at 3 p.m., by the Socialist delegates in a way “unanimous”, Olivier Faure is confirmed first secretary, while his opponent Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, who disputed the result of the internal ballot, becomes first deputy secretary, just like Johanna Rolland, mayor of Nantes and ally of Mr. Faure. Hélène Geoffroy, leader of the anti-New People’s Ecological and Social Union (Nupes), must take over the presidency of the national council, the party’s parliament.
Just before the vote, the two rivals greeted and embraced in front of the activists, who shouted “all together, all together, socialists”. “This house, you have just, once again, saved it”reacted to the microphone, to applause, the mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan, who said “have been scared in the last few days”.
Anxious to impose his own story, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol presented himself to journalists around noon, after a meeting with his current Refoundations, even before Olivier Faure had finished his. “We take our responsibilities. And we are ready for an agreement that puts Refondations, the movement we launched, at the heart of the Socialist Party”had launched the mayor of Rouen in front of the cameras. We have made this proposal for a collegial management from the start. »
No “collegiate management” according to the Faure camp
An important semantics for the rival of Olivier Faure, who tried to debunk the idea that he had to give ground to the deputy of Seine-et-Marne. For ten days, the city councilor of Rouen had been repeating that the party was “broken in two”, recalling having obtained half of the votes during the vote of January 19, and suggesting that it was legitimate to claim a co-leadership of the PS. In Olivier Faure’s camp, we do not entirely share this reading of the agreement, affirming that there is no “collective leadership” at the PS, in the sense that the two men will not be at the same level.
It prevents. The first secretary will have to give up part of his power. The new management will have a “functioning as collegially as possible by seeking consensus”, said Mr. Faure during a lunch. In case of disagreement, it will be up to the national office or the national council to decide.
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol was less in a position of strength since Hélène Geoffroy, behind whom the old socialist guard was placed, gave up entering the leadership of the party, preferring to join the presidency of the national council. From that moment, it was difficult for the mayor of Rouen, who had obtained 30% of the votes in the first round, to continue to be representative of half of the militants.