Despite his victory, Olivier Faure fails to reconcile the Socialist Party on its relationship with LFI

Olivier Faure , re-elected by a very narrow margin to the post of first secretary, failed to reunite the Socialist Party at its 81st congress in Nancy, which once again highlighted profound differences over its relationship with La France Insoumise and the strategy for the presidential election.

On the stage of the Palais des Congrès, the picture was nevertheless beautiful: Olivier Faure, elected for the 4th time with 51.15%, rubs shoulders, rose in hand, with Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, the mayor of Rouen, who failed for the second time to take the party.

Also at his side was the third man, the leader of the Socialist deputies, Boris Vallaud, who attempted to present himself as a unifying figure. Even though the party avoided the psychodrama of the previous congress in Marseille, where Mr. Mayer-Rossignol and Mr. Faure had clashed for days, the one in Nancy failed to restore cohesion.

In the morning, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol announced that he would not hold the long-awaited "summary" with the leadership, whom he accused of "taking responsibility for dividing" the party. The PS's relationship with La France Insoumise was once again at issue. The two factions were close to an agreement, but the Rouen mayor's camp wanted written assurances stating that there would be "no national and programmatic agreement" with LFI in the event of legislative elections. Olivier Faure refused.

"I will never equate the far right with La France Insoumise," said MP Arthur Delaporte, a close associate of the First Secretary. In the event of a dissolution, "what will you do for constituencies with a risk of RN? And if the Greens and the Communists choose to leave with LFI?"

In his closing speech, the Socialist leader lamented that his opponents had sought to turn the congress into "a referendum for or against La France Insoumise." According to him, this "testifies to the psychological domination" of the radical left over them.

"Couldn't you argue about other issues than LFI or me?" Jean-Luc Mélenchon had quipped the day before. Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, for his part, is calling for a complete break with the Mélenchonist movement, saying he would prefer "losing elections" to "his soul."

And MP Jérôme Guedj accused Jean-Luc Mélenchon , who was close to him, of having become "an anti-Semitic bastard." This provoked the anger of the rebellious tribune and LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard, who demanded a public apology from the Socialist Party.

"Break with LFI" also urged former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on France Inter, who left the Socialist Party in 2022 and recently joined forces with François Rebsamen, also a former minister under François Hollande, to work towards a rallying of the social-democratic left with a view to 2027.

"A major socialist party does not stoop to permanent polemics with the left (...), a major socialist party speaks to the entire left, to all its voters, without any sorting," replied Olivier Faure, refusing to replay the game of irreconcilable parties. The man who was one of the architects of the left-wing alliances Nupes (in 2022) and the New Popular Front (in 2024) with La France Insoumise, however, reiterated that there would be "no national agreement" with LFI in the municipal elections.

For the presidential election, he insisted, he wants a single candidate "from Ruffin to Glucksmann, from Autain to Tondelier, from the socialists to the ecologists or the communists." Yet another point of departure from Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, who instead advocates "a socialist affirmation."

These internal tensions, recurring within the Socialist Party, do not, however, seem to overly worry activists. Théo Roussel, 28, from Yvelines, puts things into perspective: the Socialist Party "has always been divided between its right wing and its left wing."

"We predicted a conference of broken dishes and that's not the case," said Nathan Ball, 25, from Moselle: "the desire to move forward together is still there."

Regarding the strategy to adopt for the presidential election, the First Secretary can, however, count on the support of Boris Vallaud, with whom negotiations are continuing, to build "a governance pact." Olivier Faure has again extended his hand, promising to resume his concept of "decommodification" of the company. And he indicated that he is leaving the door to management "open," in line with Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol. On the condition that "the majority fact" and "the strategic line adopted by this congress" are respected.