Le Mans Congress
Encyclopedia
The Le Mans Congress was the twenty-first national congress of the French Socialist Party
(Parti socialiste or PS). It took place from November 18 to 20, 2005.
The objective of the Congress was to solve internal divisions created by the French referendum on the European Constitution
and designate a new leadership at all levels.
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
(Parti socialiste or PS). It took place from November 18 to 20, 2005.
The objective of the Congress was to solve internal divisions created by the French referendum on the European Constitution
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
and designate a new leadership at all levels.
Motions
Five motions were presented to be voted upon by members:- For a liberal socialism: Truth and Action (Pour un socialisme libéral : vérité et action): Social liberal current led by Jean-Marie BockelJean-Marie BockelJean-Marie Bockel has been Secretary of State for Defence and Veterans in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon since 18 March 2008, having previously been Secretary of State for Cooperation and La Francophonie since June 2007...
, PS mayor of MulhouseMulhouseMulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
. - Rally the Left (Rassembler à gauche): Left-wing motion led Laurent FabiusLaurent FabiusLaurent Fabius is a French Socialist politician. He served as Prime Minister from 17 July 1984 to 20 March 1986. He was 37 years old when he was appointed and is, so far, the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic.-Early life:...
, and supported by Jean-Luc MélenchonJean-Luc MélenchonJean-Luc Mélenchon is a French politician who served in the government of France as Minister of Vocational Education from 2000 to 2002. He was also a member of the Senate of France, representing the Essonne department...
and Marie-Noëlle LienemannMarie-Noëlle LienemannMarie-Noëlle Lienemann is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the North West of France. She is a member of the Socialist Party, part of the Party of European Socialists. She studied at the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan .-References:...
. This was the first time since the 1990 Rennes CongressRennes CongressThe Rennes Congress was the thirteenth national congress of the French Socialist Party . It took place from 15 to 18 March 1990....
that Fabius led a motion. - Socialists, for success on the left: Will, Truth, Unity (Socialistes, pour réussir à gauche : Volonté - Vérité - Unité): Majority motion led by François HollandeFrançois HollandeFrançois Gérard Georges Hollande is a French politician. From 1997 to 2008, he was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party. He has also served as a Deputy of the National Assembly of France, representing the first constituency of Corrèze, since 1997. He previously represented that seat...
, supported by the party elites: Martine AubryMartine AubryMartine Aubry is a French politician. She has been the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party since November 2008 and Mayor of Lille since March 2001...
, Dominique Strauss-KahnDominique Strauss-KahnDominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn , often referred to in the media, and by himself, as DSK, is a French economist, lawyer, politician, and member of the French Socialist Party...
, and Bertrand DelanoëBertrand DelanoëBertrand Delanoë is a French politician, and has been the mayor of Paris since 2001. He is member of the Socialist Party . Delanoë was born in Tunis, Tunisia to a French-Tunisian father and a French mother...
. - New Socialist Party-For a Socialist Alternative (Nouveau Parti Socialiste-Pour une Alternative Socialiste): Left-wing motion supported by Vincent PeillonVincent PeillonVincent Benoît Camille Peillon is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the north-west of France...
, Arnaud MontebourgArnaud MontebourgArnaud Montebourg is a French politician, and a deputy of the fifth district of Saône-et-Loire to the French National Assembly for the Socialist Party. He has also been elected president of the local assembly of Saône et Loire after local elections in 2008...
, Benoît HamonBenoît HamonBenoît Hamon is a French politician, member of the Socialist Party , part of the Party of European Socialists. He was Member of the European Parliament for the East of France from 2004 to 2009. He was national secretary for Europe in the French socialist party. At present, he is spokesman...
, Michel VauzelleMichel VauzelleMichel Vauzelle is the president of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur since 1998. He is a member of the Socialist Party and was Minister of Justice in the Pierre Bérégovoy government in 1992–1993....
, Henri EmmanuelliHenri EmmanuelliHenri Emmanuelli is a French politician.A member of the Socialist Party , he has been deputy for Landes from 1978 to 1981, from 1986 to 1997 and since 2000.-Biography:...
. - Utopia: Alterglobalization current led by Franck Pupunat.