The French Presidential Election

A week on Sunday, supporters of the Parti socialiste and associated parties of the left, will participate in a primary to select a candidate to represent them for the French presidential election. Not all left wing parties are participating, but the winner is likely to be regarded as the mainstream candidate opposing François Fillon (Les républicains) and Marine Le Pen (Le Front national). The election has two rounds, with the two candidates gaining most vote on 22nd January going forward to the second round on 29th January.

The candidates are -

Manuel Valls - Prime Minister under President Hollande from 2014 until December 6th 2016.  His

website is http://manuelvalls.fr He has been a member of the Assemblée nationale, Interior Minister and Prime Minister. He ran for the Parti socialiste nomination in 2012, describing himself as "Blairiste" or "Clintonien".


Arnaud Montebourg - His website is http://www.arnaudmontebourg-2017.fr. He told the UK



Guardian that he saw himself as a French version of Bernie Sanders. Like Valls he ran for the nomination in 2012. He was Minister for Industrial Renewal from 2012-14, serving under both Ayrault and Valls


Benoît Hamon - A former Minister for Education (April - August 2014); MEP 2004-09 and a leader of the left wing at the 2008 PS Reims Congress.  He resigned from the government in August 2014  in protest as Hollande's "abandonment of a socialist agenda" His website is https://www.benoithamon2017.fr



of the left wing at the 2008 PS Reims Congress.  He resigned from the government in August 2014  in protest as Hollande's "abandonment of a socialist agenda" His website is https://www.benoithamon2017.fr


Vincent Peillon - Also a former Minister of Education (and former teacher 1984-92; 1993-97), he was elected as an MEP in 2014, having served in the Assemblée nationale in 1997-2002. L'Express has described him as "à équidistance de Manuel Valls, et des frondeurs" [halfway between Valls and the PS rebels on the left]. His website is http://www.vp2017.fr



was elected as an MEP in 2014, having served in the Assemblée nationale in 1997-2002. L'Express has described him as "à équidistance de Manuel Valls, et des frondeurs" [halfway between Valls and the PS rebels on the left]. His website is http://www.vp2017.fr


Sylvia Pinel - Leader of the moderate and social-liberal centre-left Parti Radical de Gauche. Minister



of Territorial Equality and Housing under the Valls premiership, leaving in February 2011. Her programme can be found at http://www.partiradicaldegauche.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Projet-SP_final.pdf


François de Rugy - A member of the Assemblée nationale since 2007, he is a former member of



EELV (Europe Ecology - The Greens) but formed his own party - Écologistes! - after breaking with EELV over their alliances with the left-wing Front de Gauche. His website is https://www.derugy2017.fr


Jean-Luc Bennahmias - An MEP for 10 years from the South of France.


He formed his own party - the Front démocrate in 2014. His website is http://jlbennahmias2017.fr

If you read French, there is a full description of each of the candidates here.

Useful sites for following the Primary are -

France 24 - English, French - Who are the candidates?
Le Monde - Primaire de la gauche
Liberation
L'Express
Le Point