French left-wingers go to polls to choose socialist candidate
Left-wing French voters were casting ballots yesterday in a nationwide presidential primary aimed at producing a candidate strong enough to confront conservative and nationalist rivals in the Aprilmay general election.
France’s once-powerful left is struggling for political survival after President Francois Hollande’s pro-business reforms split his Socialist Party.
In a campaign marked by anti-immigrant populism and fears of economic stagnation, many disillusioned working class voters are abandoning the Socialists for far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Former Prime Minister Manuel Valls is a leading contender in the firstround primary, but has faced fierce attacks from harderleft rivals who associate him with Hollande’s unpopular moves to relax labour protections to encourage hiring. Arnaudmontebourg,aformer economy minister who left Hollande’s government amid feuding over the direction of the economy, has pledged “France first” economic policies and wants executives to raise employees’ wages if they raise their own.
Casting his ballot in central France, Montebourg said he hoped to “bring together the other components of the left wing and win this presidential election”.
Another disenchanted former government minister, Benoit Hamon, is promising to tax robots, legalise cannabis and give 750 euros in “universal income” to all French adults.
Paris voter Francoise Danzon said he struggled to choose and added: “I think Montebourg’s and Hamon’s programmes are really on the left side, and they are interesting, but I don’t really believe in it totally. Because to me it doesn’t seem really realistic.”
The other candidates are Vincent Peillon, Francois de Rugy, Sylvia Pinel and Jean-luc Bennahmias. Hollande declined to seek re-election.
The top two in the primary advance to a runoff set for 29 January. For the winner, a bigger challenge comes in the race for the two-round presidential elections on 23 April and 7 May.
Polls show more support for conservative candidate Francois Fillon and National Front leader Le Pen.
The left also faces a challenge from centrist Emmanuel Macron, 39, a former investment banker wholedhollande’sreforms as economy minister, but refused to take part in the Socialist primary.
Overshadowing the Socialist voting is the nationalist sentiment that helped fuel Donald Trump’s campaign for the US presidency and in several countries around Europe.