As of 8.30 this morning, with some of the 2.5 million votes cast still to be counted, the results in the French socialist primary were as follows:
* François Hollande – 39 per cent
* Martine Aubry – 31 per cent
* Arnaud Montebourg – 17 per cent
* Ségolène Royal – 6 per cent
* Manuel Valls – 6 per cent
* Jean-Michel Baylet – 1 per cent
It was expected that it would be the two éléphants (big beasts) of the PS, Hollande and Aubry, who’d be contesting next weekend’s second round. What few commentators had foreseen, however, was quite how well Arnaud Montebourg would perform, and quite how dismally the 2007 presidential candidate Ségolène Royal would do.
Montebourg, a deputy in Saône et Loire and president of the departmental assembly there, has run an insurgent campaign from a position well to the left of Hollande and Aubry, the watchword of which has been “démondialisation” (de-globalisation). He has argued for much stronger regulation of the financial system and “protectionism” on a European scale. The other eye-catching part of his programme is his call for thoroughgoing political and constitutional reform that would lead to the establishment of a “sixth republic”.
Montebourg is expected to announce which of the two remaining candidates he favours this evening. In the meantime, Hollande and Aubry will be working out how best to appeal to his supporters. At a reception at Montebourg’s HQ in the 20th arrondissement of Paris last night, one activist told Le Monde: “The people who campaigned for Montebourg clearly prefer Aubry, who has always been more to the left [than Hollande]. We can win in the second round.”
Both Aubry and Hollande’s campaign teams are putting pressure on Montebourg. Pierre Moscovici, who has been coordinating Hollande’s campaign, said: “He [Montebourg] must ask himself who is capable of rallying the most support.” Meanwhile, former prime minister Laurent Fabius, one of Aubry’s most prominent supporters, insisted there was an ideological “convergence” between his candidate and Montebourg (Hollande is the more centrist of the two frontrunners; Aubry’s responsibility for legislation passed in 2000 introducing the 35-hour week ensures she gets some support from the left).
Asked by the television channel France 2 for his views on Montebourg’s “de-globalisation” agenda, Hollande seemed to hedge his bets, mindful that he needs the younger man’s support (and supporters): “On de-globalisation, this is not my vocabulary. … But, on a certain number of points, it’s clear that limits must be placed on globalisation. But that can only be done at a European level.”
The second round of voting takes place on Sunday 16 October.
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