French Left's Primary: Glucksmann Faces the Vote as Favorite After Sharp Attacks
France's left-wing parties hold a primary on Friday and Saturday, with nearly 140,000 people called to vote. Raphaël Glucksmann, described as the favorite, has come under harsh criticism from rivals.
A short campaign and three debates have preceded a primary organized jointly by the Socialist Party (PS), Place publique and GRS in France. Voting takes place on Friday and Saturday, and close to 140,000 people have been called to take part.
A hard-to-poll electorate
The outcome is difficult to call, because this group of voters is hard to measure through opinion polls. Even so, one candidate is widely presented as the favorite.
Glucksmann under fire
The favorite's role is attributed to Raphaël Glucksmann, the president of Place publique. During the campaign he was harshly attacked by several of his opponents, including Ségolène Royal and Olivier Faure. The question now is whether Glucksmann can win and also come through the vote without lasting damage after those attacks.
Podcast discussion
The subject is discussed in the latest episode of the Playbook Paris podcast, where Anthony Lattier speaks with Marcelo Wesfreid, deputy editor-in-chief of POLITICO. Listeners can send questions or comments to the program via WhatsApp.
The primary is meant to determine which of the left's figures will gain common backing. The source does not specify which offices or elections the vote concerns, so its wider impact will become clearer once the ballots are counted.
