Olivier Faure re-elected at the head of a PS that must be united and given credibility for the 2027 presidential election

The fight ultimately did not take place, despite a battle of numbers early in the night between the outgoing first secretary and his rival Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol.

But after the disastrous memory of the Marseille congress in 2023, where the two men who were already facing each other had clashed, each claiming victory, both camps were keen not to replay the same scenario.

The two competitors met during the night, and Olivier Faure was finally announced the winner around 4:00 a.m. on Friday, with 50.9% of the vote (results still provisional, but which cannot be reversed), against 49.1% for Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, who admitted his defeat.

The results will be officially validated at a conference in Nancy from June 13 to 15.

Olivier Faure benefited from a more favourable report from some of the voters of Boris Vallaud , the third man in the congress, who had not given any voting instructions but indicated that he would support him personally.

The First Secretary, who will be a guest on TF1's 8 p.m. news on Friday, must now reconcile a party divided over its strategic line for the presidential election.

Working with "friends"

He, like Boris Vallaud, advocates a joint candidacy of the non-Mélenchonist left for 2027, ranging from the leader of Place publique Raphaël Glucksmann to the former LFI deputy François Ruffin.

It was therefore no surprise that the head of the Ecologists, Marine Tondelier, a great supporter of the union of the left, congratulated him on his victory.

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, for his part, is defending a candidacy from "a large Socialist Party" ("GPS") bringing together the socialists and those who gravitate around them, such as Raphaël Glucksmann or Bernard Cazeneuve.

To socialists potentially disappointed by Faurism, former Macronist minister Clément Beaune reached out on Friday in Le Parisien, proposing the creation of "a lasting coalition of the social-democratic PS and LR."

In Olivier Faure's camp, they say they are open to working with "the friends of Boris Vallaud and the friends of Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol" , but "on the basis of the line that won the congress".

Discussions will continue in the coming weeks, until the proclamation of the national secretariat (the party's executive, editor's note) on July 1.

A challenge, especially since Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol's criticisms have been particularly virulent against Olivier Faure, accused of " clan management" , lack of work and " ambiguity" towards LFI.

The first secretary assured, like his competitors, that there would be no national agreements with the Mélenchonist party for the next elections.

But the Socialist Party could once again discuss "case-by-case" agreements with LFI to counter the National Rally, Nantes mayor Johanna Rolland, a close associate of Olivier Faure, clarified Friday morning.

A position also shared by Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, assures the Faurist camp, since the mayor of Rouen had indicated that he did not rule out Republican withdrawals in favor of the Insoumis in the event of a risk of victory for the RN.

Bring out a candidate

Olivier Faure then has to launch his party into the municipal battle - a first round of PS leaders has already been designated in towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants - and then the presidential election, by proposing a project that can establish the PS as the only credible alternative on the left.

At 56, Olivier Faure will have to give new impetus as he has led the party since 2018.

He has already announced that the programmatic axes will be announced during the party's summer days in Blois at the end of August, before the presentation of a project at the end of November.

In a party that has only 40,000 members, and where its competitors have repeatedly stated in the media that the Socialist Party no longer produces ideas, Olivier Faure will also have to identify a potential socialist candidate.

Many insiders are convinced that he would like to take on the role, even if he has refrained from expressing any ambition. He has simply conceded that he would not "shirk" the role .

But other socialists are also in the running, such as Occitanie President Carole Delga and Saint-Ouen Mayor Karim Bouamrane. Boris Vallaud, who during the campaign brought to light the concept of the "decommodification" of society, could also be a contender for the position.