Pave: Royal Mess-itude* Redux

Le jour 31 de Sarko

More mess-itude from the party of the first-woman-within-six-points-of-the-Élysée™.

FAMILY FALL-OUT WORSENS SOCIALIST'S SORRY ELECTION PLIGHT

PARIS June 12, 2007 (France 24/AFP) - Socialist Party (PS) prospects of resisting a right-wing landslide in the National Assembly were dealt a new blow Tuesday by family feuding at the top between ex-presidential candidate Segolene Royal and her partner, party leader Francois ["I am living a tragedy"] Hollande.

Once seen as the golden couple of the French left, the pair have been increasingly at odds since last month's presidential elections, which sparked bitter recriminations over blame for Royal's defeat by Nicolas Sarkozy.

Now the couple are in open disagreement over the tactics to adopt in order to avoid meltdown in next Sunday's second round of voting in the country's legislative elections [see here, item No.2].

While Royal supports a deal with the centrist Modem party of Francois Bayrou in order to limit damage from Sunday's disastrous first round of voting, Hollande made it clear Tuesday that he is against any election pact.

"She has a personal contact with Francois Bayrou, I don't," Hollande told Le Monde newspaper.

On the basis of his outstanding loss in the 1e tour, M. Bayrou was inspired to create a new party whose sole distinguishment -- as best we can tell -- is that it is not affiliated with either of the big parties. It's not much of a distinction, but there you are. If he were to throw in with the Socialists -- or the L'UMPs -- what would be the raison d'être for his party? He has already rebuffed Ségo, but Ségo thinks his "no" a come on.

Dealing a severe blow to Royal, the Socialist Party's top decision-making body Tuesday voted to reject her strategy of an alliance with Bayrou's party, falling in line with Hollande.

... The Royal-Hollande disagreement -- conducted in public via separate pronouncements to the press -- symbolised the confusion at the top of the Socialist Party (PS), whose demoralised rank-and-file are increasingly angry at the lack of effective leadership. Socialist deputy Manuel Valls:

I am fed up with the way political life, and especially that of my own party, is revolving around the life of a couple.

PS First Secretary for 10 years, Hollande has said he will stand down by next year, and Royal is positioning herself to succeed him. However her pre-eminence is contested by senior figures on the right and left of the party, who believe she blew the presidential election.

Huh? She did blow the presidential election . [Pause.] Unless she actually won [Dawning insight.] and has been cheated by dark forces.

In a scathing editorial, the left-leaning Le Monde described the Hollande-Royal partnership as a "Vaudeville act" and urged the party to hasten the process of internal reform.

What we have is the depressing spectacle of a Socialist camp in total disorder, casting about for doctrine, strategy and leadership.

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* Mess + plenitude = mess-itude. For context, see here.

PFFT (What is this?): Big vote-getter: party confusion 0 | Big vote-getter: party throat-cutting 2½ | Rayonnement français 0