After a chaotic night during which the two finalists claimed victory, it was finally the outgoing first secretary who was re-elected as head of the Socialist Party. Olivier Faure and his rival Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol each claimed, on the night of Thursday to Friday, to have won the ballot. But the PS announced Friday morning the victory of Olivier Faure with 50.83% of the vote.
“23,759 votes were cast during this ballot (…), Olivier Faure obtained 12,076 votes or 50.83% of the votes cast, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol obtained 11,683 votes or 49.17% of the votes cast” , indicates in its press release the party, which thus records a difference of only 393 votes between the two candidates.
This score is based on the results from the federations and forwarded to the congress organizing committee. The two camps, which had claimed victory overnight from Thursday to Friday, accuse each other of irregularities in the votes and have announced appeals and requests for cancellations of votes in sections. “The final results will be announced after the vote of the delegates of the Marseille Congress which will be held on January 27, 28 and 29, 2023”, specifies the PS.
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol continues to challenge his rival’s victory. “The choice of activists must be respected, the unity of the Socialist Party preserved. I ask that the proofing commission be convened. Without it no result can obviously be proclaimed. I call for appeasement and unity. The French are watching us, he shared on social mediaa few minutes after the announcement of Olivier Faure’s victory by the PS.
The mayor of Rouen also requests “the cancellation of a certain number of results”, due to litigation, in particular in the section of Liévin (Pas-de-Calais, around 300 votes). Poll supervisors not authorized to enter polling stations, ballot box stuffing: the two camps accused each other of numerous “irregularities” in the votes. The winner must be officially inducted at a congress in a week in Marseille.