- The First Secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, has declared his candidacy for the left-wing primary, scheduled for 9, 10, 16 and 17 October.
- The MP for Seine-et-Marne becomes the fifth candidate in the running, facing Raphaël Glucksmann, Ségolène Royal, Jérôme Guedj, and Philippe Brun, among others.
- Credited with 3.5 to 5% in the polls, he rejects any backroom deal with Jean-Luc Mélenchon and intends to promote his own political agenda.
Official Entry into the Race Following the Summer University
The day after his political party’s summer gathering in Blois, the First Secretary of the Socialist Party publicly declared his candidacy for the left-wing primary ahead of the next presidential election. The 58-year-old MP for Seine-et-Marne intends to champion a project focused on social justice and the fight against the right and far-right. Olivier Faure officially committed to the presidential race on Sunday, asserting his desire to rebuild the country after what he described as a decade marked by immense waste.
Having led the party for eight years, the elected official is embarking on his first bid for the Elysée Palace. In the previous presidential election in 2022, the social-democratic party was represented by Anne Hidalgo, who garnered 1.7% of the votes. Prior to this public announcement, the MP had already informed members of his parliamentary group of his intentions.
An October Ballot Against Four Declared Rivals
This declaration makes the socialist leader the fifth candidate in the running for this internal consultation, scheduled for 9-10 and 16-17 October. He will face MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, who is polling between 10 and 15% of voting intentions, as well as MPs Jérôme Guedj and Philippe Brun, not forgetting former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal. The First Secretary is set to challenge Raphaël Glucksmann in a political debate centred on alliance strategy and the ideological direction of the left.
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When questioned about the differences between the candidates, Raphaël Glucksmann welcomed a moment of clarification regarding those he accuses of being involved in backroom negotiations. In response, Olivier Faure reaffirmed his refusal to confine the debate solely to internal squabbles, thereby ruling out any possibility of an agreement or rallying with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is also a candidate in the presidential election.
Strategic Challenges and a Campaign to Lead
Currently polling at 3.5 to 5% in voting intention tests, Olivier Faure embraces his position as a challenger. To put these preliminary figures into perspective, the elected official reminds us that presidential dynamics frequently hold surprises, citing several political figures who were once favourites but did not win, or conversely, the example of François Hollande, who began his campaign with low scores. Despite modest voting intentions, the socialist leader highlights the historical unpredictability of major electoral consultations.
His situation is unique, given that he himself supported Raphaël Glucksmann’s candidacy in the 2019 and 2024 European elections, and he found himself in a minority within his own party last July over the modalities of this primary. To highlight his distinctiveness, the MP emphasises his family origins and his background within the middle classes and working-class neighbourhoods. With the vote just a month and a half away, Olivier Faure is preparing to publish a book titled La loi du plus juste (The Law of the Fairest) and will make his first campaign trip on Tuesday, focusing on the theme of the new school year.
