Reims Congress
Encyclopedia
The Reims Congress was the twenty-second national congress of the French Socialist Party
(Parti socialiste or PS), taking place from 14 to 16 November 2008 in the city of Reims
in the Marne
.
Incumbent First Secretary François Hollande
announced that he will not run again, thus opening the way for a three-way battle between 2007 presidential candidate
Ségolène Royal
; Bertrand Delanoë
, Mayor of Paris; and Martine Aubry
, mayor of Lille
. Each candidate endorsed motions that would be voted upon by the eligible voters as a determinant for the endorsement of each candidate.
dropped out of the race for First Secretary during the Reims Congress and endorsed Martine Aubry
the next day. Ségolène Royal
stayed in the race, as did Benoit Hamon
(endorsed by Utopia). Royal led in the first round of voting held on Thursday 20 November with around 42% against 34% for Aubry. Hamon had around 22% of the votes and was eliminated. He endorsed Aubry for the runoff, held the next day.
According to official results, Aubry seems to have won by a tiny margin of 42 votes- though Royal has not conceded and called for a third round to be held. A PS National Council examined the results on Tuesday 25 November. In the recount, Aubry was declared the winner with wider margin of 102 votes
First round
Second round
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), taking place from 14 to 16 November 2008 in the city of Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
in the Marne
Marne
Marne is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne which flows through the department. The prefecture of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne...
.
Incumbent First Secretary François Hollande
François Hollande
François 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...
announced that he will not run again, thus opening the way for a three-way battle between 2007 presidential candidate
French presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
Ségolène Royal
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal , known as Ségolène Royal, is a French politician. She is the president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council, a former member of the National Assembly, a former government minister, and a prominent member of the French Socialist Party...
; Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand 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...
, Mayor of Paris; and Martine Aubry
Martine Aubry
Martine 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...
, mayor of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
. Each candidate endorsed motions that would be voted upon by the eligible voters as a determinant for the endorsement of each candidate.
Motions
Six motions are presented to be voted upon by members:- Clarity, courage, creativity (Clarté, courage, créativité): Led by 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...
and supported 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...
, Jean-Marc AyraultJean-Marc AyraultJean-Marc Ayrault is a French politician and a member of the French Socialist Party. He is currently Mayor of Nantes and President of the Socialist Party group in the French National Assembly....
, Michel RocardMichel RocardMichel Rocard is a French politician, member of the Socialist Party . He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991, during which he created the Revenu minimum d'insertion , a social minimum welfare program for indigents, and led the Matignon Accords regarding the status...
, Lionel JospinLionel JospinLionel Jospin is a French politician, who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.Jospin was the Socialist Party candidate for President of France in the elections of 1995 and 2002. He was narrowly defeated in the final runoff election by Jacques Chirac in 1995...
, and Élisabeth GuigouÉlisabeth GuigouÉlisabeth Guigou is a French Socialist politician.-Biography:After attending ENA, France's elite graduate school of public affairs, she worked on Jacques Delors' staff in 1982 before being hired by Hubert Védrine in François Mitterrand's...
. - For a staunchly ecologist Socialist Party (Pour un Parti Socialiste résolument écologique): Eco-socialist motion.
- A World in Front, Rebuilding hope on the left (Un monde d’avance, Reconstruire l'espoir à gauche): EuroscepticEuroScepticEuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
and staunchly left-wing current led by 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...
and supported by 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:...
, 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:...
, Pierre Larrouturou, and 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...
. - Change on the Left to Change France (Changer à gauche pour changer la France): Left-wing motion led by 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...
and supported by 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:...
, Pierre MauroyPierre MauroyPierre Mauroy is a French Socialist politician and former Prime Minister under François Mitterrand . Mauroy also served as Mayor of Lille from 1973 to 2001. Mauroy is currently emeritus mayor of Lille.-Biography:...
, Jack LangJack Lang (French politician)Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
, and 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...
. - Hope on the left, proud to be Socialist (L'espoir à gauche, fier(e)s d'être socialistes): Motion led by Gérard CollombGérard CollombGérard Collomb, born on 20 June 1947 in Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, is a French politician. He is an active member of the French Socialist Party and has been Mayor of Lyon since March 2001....
on the behalf of Ségolène RoyalSégolène RoyalMarie-Ségolène Royal , known as Ségolène Royal, is a French politician. She is the president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council, a former member of the National Assembly, a former government minister, and a prominent member of the French Socialist Party...
and supported by Vincent PeillonVincent PeillonVincent Benoît Camille Peillon is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the north-west of France...
, and Manuel VallsManuel VallsManuel Valls is a French Socialist Party politician, deputy since 2002 and mayor of Évry.Valls was born in Barcelona and became a naturalized French citizen in 1982. He is a prominent supporter of F.C...
. - Socialists, Alterglobalists, Ecologists (Socialistes, Altermondialistes, Écologistes): Motion led by the Utopia current.
Results of the Motions vote
128,978 out of 233,000 eligible voters took part in the election by motion, which represents a turnout of 55.38%First-Secretary Run-off
Bertrand DelanoëBertrand Delanoë
Bertrand 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...
dropped out of the race for First Secretary during the Reims Congress and endorsed Martine Aubry
Martine Aubry
Martine 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...
the next day. Ségolène Royal
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal , known as Ségolène Royal, is a French politician. She is the president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council, a former member of the National Assembly, a former government minister, and a prominent member of the French Socialist Party...
stayed in the race, as did Benoit Hamon
Benoît Hamon
Benoît 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...
(endorsed by Utopia). Royal led in the first round of voting held on Thursday 20 November with around 42% against 34% for Aubry. Hamon had around 22% of the votes and was eliminated. He endorsed Aubry for the runoff, held the next day.
According to official results, Aubry seems to have won by a tiny margin of 42 votes- though Royal has not conceded and called for a third round to be held. A PS National Council examined the results on Tuesday 25 November. In the recount, Aubry was declared the winner with wider margin of 102 votes
First round
Second round