French Socialists vote for restricted primary, dealing blow to party leader Olivier Faure

The vote

French Socialist Party (PS) members voted on Thursday evening to adopt a restricted primary to choose their candidate for the 2027 presidential election. The proposal, backed by the leader of the PS parliamentary group Boris Vallaud, received 55.5% of the vote, according to results cited by Ouest France. It limits participation to members of the PS and allied political organizations that identify with the "socialist pole," including Raphaël Glucksmann's Place publique and former prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve's La Convention. The vote took place in person from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Restricted primary (militants only)

55.5

Open primary (sympathizers)

44.5

Restricted primary (militants only)

55.5 %

Open primary (sympathizers)

44.5 %

Two competing visions

The defeated alternative, championed by First Secretary Olivier Faure, would have opened the primary to sympathizers for a fee of €2, with the aim of drawing between 500,000 and one million participants. Faure argued on BFMTV-RMC that the party should not retreat inward.

I am for opening doors and windows. At a time when we are not the favorites, when the fight will be difficult, this is not the moment for retreat.

His opponents, however, insisted that only committed militants should decide the nominee. The outcome is a setback for Faure, already weakened by internal disputes following the last party congress.

What comes next

The primary itself is scheduled for late September or early October, according to Faure. The winner may then face a second vote, a unity primary of the non-LFI left, involving the Ecologists and former La France Insoumise figures Clémentine Autain and François Ruffin. This multi-stage process has drawn frustration within the PS, as most other presidential contenders have already launched their campaigns.

We are very late. All political parties have their candidate, except us.

1. Jul 9, 2026PS members vote to adopt a restricted primary, rejecting Olivier Faure's open-primary proposal.
2. Late September / early October 2026Socialist primary takes place, selecting a candidate from the social-democratic space.
3. After the primaryWinner may face a unity primary with Ecologists and former LFI members Autain and Ruffin.

Candidates and reactions

So far, only Philippe Brun, deputy for Eure, has declared his candidacy for the socialist primary. Karim Bouamrane, mayor of Saint-Ouen, has announced a bid outside the primary framework. Raphaël Glucksmann, founder of Place publique, is the poll favorite in the social-democratic space and a leading figure among Faure's opponents. Faure himself, asked about his own possible candidacy, left the door open.

I am First Secretary, it would not be illegitimate for me to be a candidate. I have not said that I have made my decision.