Socialist primary: the ousting of Philippe Brun disrupts the launch of the campaign

The socialist primary could have dreamed of a better launching pad. The Philippe Brun affair, ousted from the ballot on Wednesday September 16, due to accusations of violence made by a former collaborator, relegated the issues of the vote to the background. Especially since, in his defense, the deputy for Eure denounces an "instrumentalization" of a conflict by the PS to "kill it politically". “Unheard of in the history of a democratic political party,” he concludes, opening the way to controversy.

His supporters relay his words and are surprised by the calendar. The candidates had until Tuesday evening, at 11:59 p.m., to present themselves in the ballot scheduled for October 9-10 and 16-17. “23:50 for the referral to the complainant is still enormous, without prejudging the content of the file,” estimates a former party executive. “We knew that we were disturbing, that his candidacy could cause chaos. (...) There are quite a few who are happy that he fell,” comments one of his supporters to franceinfo.

“I have nothing to do with it,” assures Olivier Faure

Here are the five candidates in this primary forced to position themselves in relation to these accusations rather than developing their proposals. Thus, Olivier Faure, guest on Franceinfo 8:30 a.m. to launch his campaign, justified himself for ten minutes. “It is a matter that I regret and I think that the PS could have spared [it]. (…) There is no desire on my part nor any political interest to eliminate Philippe Brun. I have nothing to do with it,” commented the first secretary of the Socialist Party, recalling that as a candidate, he had “not been associated with the decision”. “It is also unimaginable to suggest that in the Socialist Party, we could accept that one of those who could take this primary is suspected of being a violent man with a woman,” he continued.

The other candidates are in no hurry to react. Jérôme Guedj does not raise the issue on his social networks. “No reaction,” comments Raphaël Glucksmann’s campaign team, contacted by franceinfo. Emmanuel Maurel adopts the same line of caution. Also contacted by franceinfo, he did not wish to comment on the internal decisions of the PS. He, like the leader of Place publique, are not members of the Socialist Party. “The subject, everyone must understand, is sufficiently sensitive so that speeches do not go in all directions,” comments a senior executive of the PS. Those around Ségolène Royal provide support to the complainant. “Our position is clear: always believe the word of women who say they are victims of violence,” supports Luc Carvounas, PS mayor of Alfortville (Val-de-Marne).

“It will not delegitimize the primary”

This Brun affair also impacted the presentation of the socialist counter-budget to the National Assembly on Wednesday. In the corridors of the Palais-Bourbon, the deputies suffered the blow. “He is a candidate in the primary who is prevented, perhaps for good reasons, but at least he was able to express himself, regrets a member of the group. The moral is that it is not great. The primary is off to a bad start,” he believes. “Philippe Brun is a storm in a glass of water, no one knows him in public opinion,” tempers a PS executive who considers “that if Glucksmann or Faure had not been able to run, that would have changed things. That is not what will delegitimize the primary.”

Candidates want to move on and enter the project confrontation phase. The sequence of debates, in particular the one organized on October 1 on France 2, should help them do this. “Let us now let justice do its work without interfering. The primary will continue and so will the campaigns of the various candidates,” hopes Dieynaba Diop, PS MP for Yvelines. “There are three weeks left before the first round. We remain focused,” concludes Luc Carvounas.