The first outgoing secretary, who claims his renewal at the head of the Socialist Party, spoke on Monday with his rival, who continues to challenge the result.
by Sandrine Cassini
First attempted conciliation aborted to the Socialist Party (PS). Monday, January 23, hoping to get out of the crisis, Olivier Faure had given an appointment to the two candidates who faced him during the internal election, on January 12 and 19: Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, his main rival, who wishes to delight him Direction of the PS and which continues to challenge the result of the voting of the activists, and Hélène Geoffroy, beaten in the first round, but intended to weigh in the parties of the party.
At the end of two hours of a discussion qualified as “cordial” by the first outgoing secretary – even if the atmosphere seemed heavy -, the three participants went down from their meeting room without peace agreement. “We tried to discuss, but let us find a solution,” said Olivier Faure, saying that he had made “a number of proposals” to his two socialist “comrades”. Whoever claims his renewal at the head of the PS notably promised them assistant positions, who would be inserted in a “collegial direction”. So that the duo is closely associated with the strategic decisions of the party, on which Mr. Faure would therefore keep his hand.
For the moment, the mayor of Rouen and the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin (Metropolis of Lyon) have rejected this offer. “I cannot recognize the principle of collective management, when we have disagreements on the merits and on the designation of the first secretary,” said Hélène Geoffroy, behind which the old socialist guard – in particular François Hollande and his supporters -, and who scraps against the new ecological and social popular union (Nuts).
“I am not bought with positions”
The opponents of the first outgoing secretary, they asked for the establishment of a “board”, three or four, in which they would have a weight equivalent to his. In order to respect parity, they even expressed the idea of joining the mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, of whom Mr. Faure wants to make his number 2. “I do not see how it can work,” replied this Last, retorting that the Socialist Party is not “L’Hedre de Lerne”, in reference to this mythological creature with several heads.
To get out of the impasse, the deputy of Seine-et-Marne proposed to Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol to take charge of the European elections campaign and to be the head of the list. But the latter declined. “I am not bought with posts,” retorted a few hours later the one who had expressed his concerns for this election, scheduled in 2024, fearing to see the PS doing alliance with rebellious France (LFI) in the Nut frame.
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