How did the crisis start?
The case starts on January 19, a little before midnight. That day, PS activists vote to choose a First Secretary, either by renewing Olivier Faure or by electing his opponent, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol. Very early in the evening, the relatives of the latter, in front of the press, claim to have defeated Olivier Faure. This does not prevent the entourage of the outgoing First Secretary from claiming victory in turn. “We bent them”, even congratulates one of his faithful followers at L’Express, sure of himself. Figures are advanced: 53 or 54% for Faure.
A battle begins, with videos recorded in a hurry and sent to journalists and on social networks. It is 1:18 a.m. when Olivier Faure appears before the press and confirms: “The activists expressed this evening, by a clear vote, their desire to continue the rally of the left and environmentalists by renewing their confidence in me.” About ten minutes later, it was Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol’s turn to do the same. He doesn’t give up either. Filmed by a faithful, with by his side Lamia El Aaraje, close to Anne Hidalgo, he assures him: “We are able to tell you that we won this result up to around 53%, a little less .” The same assures: “There is not enough margin to catch up with this delay (for Olivier Faure, editor’s note).”
Who is telling the truth? Difficult to know then, because there are still ballot boxes to be stripped. At the same time, in the den of the party, in Ivry-sur-Seine, the minutes of the results of several federations continue to flow, some of which are rich in hundreds of militants such as Seine-Saint-Denis, Bouches- du-Rhône or Guadeloupe. The score is tight and a few votes can tip the vote one way or the other. On social networks, each clan rails against each other, accuses each other of cheating, deception, putsch.
The situation is reminiscent of the Reims congress in 2008, which saw Ségolène Royal oppose Martine Aubry for the seat of First Secretary, against a background of cheating. But at the time, none of the candidates had claimed victory as Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol and Olivier Faure did on January 19, 2020.
Who took it?
If the two men have claimed victory, only the proofing commission, a sort of constitutional council of the PS, is empowered to decide. It is responsible for examining the minutes, federation by federation, of the ballot and validating – or not – disputes. At its head, Corinne Narassiguin, number 2 of the party and close to Olivier Faure. In a press release published in the early morning of January 20, the party leadership, citing the said commission, announced the victory of the outgoing First Secretary, with 50.83%, against 49.17% for Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol. “Raw” results, taken from the minutes, which do not take into account any voting irregularities. The city councilor of Rouen does not believe a word of it, denounces a forced passage and threatens to take legal action. Anne Hidalgo, her support since the first hour, torpedoes: “If we had fun doing that when we organize elections in our cities, we would be in prison.” Atmosphere.
The proofing committee decides to meet again, for 10 hours, on Saturday January 21 and nearly five hours on Sunday 22. Around the table, we find the lieutenants of each of the candidates: Pierre Jouvet, Maxime des Gayets and Sébastien Vincini for Olivier Faure; David Assouline, Claire Fita and Jean-Marc Germain for Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol. François Kalfon, Patrick Mennucci and Rachid Temal, close to the third candidate, Hélène Geoffroy, are also present. The objective is to study the results again, federation by federation, and to agree on the disputes.
Sunday, the case gets carried away. In the JDD, Olivier Faure insists: “The result is clear and clean.” What to tighten a little more the situation within the commission of verification which did not return its conclusions. In the afternoon, the commission stops. Those close to Mayer-Rossignol say that a “global deal” was offered to them, with different scenarios all giving Faure the winner. They say they have refused it while there are still around forty federations to be examined. Pierre Jouvet says that all the contentious situations have been settled. The verification commission publishes its results, which it wants to be final, and confirms Olivier Faure’s victory: 51.09% against 48.91% for Mayer-Rossignol.
Was there cheating?
Opaque ballot boxes, sent bailiffs, physical pressure on activists… The maneuvers that mar the first round of the ballot, revealed by L’Express a week earlier, have resumed with renewed vigor and each accuses the other of being the instigator. Sunday evening, when the verification commission had just reconfirmed Faure’s victory, Mayer-Rossignol denounced “a very large number of manifest irregularities”, with “shoe boxes” as ballot boxes and “polling stations non-existent”.
At Faure as at Rossignol, the accusations flourish but the proofs are rare. In three reports consulted by L’Express, it is well and truly notified of the use of shoeboxes as ballot boxes: one in the “Plateau Est” section in Rouen, another in the Buchy section, not far from the Norman town, and one in the Darnetal-Bonsecours-Amfreville section. Three sections of the federation of Seine-Maritime, the stronghold of Mayer-Rossignol.
On the side of Faure, it is the section of Liévin, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, which poses a problem. Supporters of Mayer-Rossignol denounce ballot box stuffing and physical pressure. The municipal police must even intervene. Partial and partial paintings are broadcast on social networks by Mayer-Rossignol and his supporters when those close to Olivier Faure, like juppeists straight in their boots, refuse to see anything other than the victory of their leader and denounce “the post -truth” of their opponents.
What exit door?
This Monday, January 23, Olivier Faure, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol and Hélène Geoffroy find themselves at the party headquarters, in Ivry, without a collaborator. “After the heartbreaks of the last few days, the objective of this meeting is to find the way to appeasement and work together,” said the management of the PS. Olivier Faure must make “proposals there in order to associate all the sensitivities with the direction of the party”.
Be that as it may, the result given by the verification commission will have to be ratified in Marseilles, during the congress which is being held from January 27 to 29. This will be the mission of the national delegates, the majority of whom lean towards Olivier Faure. They should therefore confirm what its opponents have been striving to denounce for a few days. What will then remain of these irreconcilable socialists? The spectacle offered in recent days by the distant heirs of Jaurès, Blum and Mitterrand will not have restored the image of the old pink house, quite the contrary. “A step back, a collective suicide”, says a socialist deputy, distressed.