Boris Vallaud and his faction leave French Socialist Party leadership
Boris Vallaud, the leader of the Socialist deputies, and his entire faction have resigned from the French Socialist Party's leadership, sources told franceinfo on Friday. The departure of 24 members, including 21 national secretaries, leaves First Secretary Olivier Faure isolated but still in charge. The split stems from a dispute over the 2027 presidential election strategy, with Faure favoring a left-wing primary and Vallaud demanding the party name its own candidate.
Boris Vallaud, the leader of the Socialist deputies, and his entire faction have resigned from the leadership of the French Socialist Party, sources told franceinfo on Friday, May 8, 2026. The departure involves 24 members, including 21 national secretaries, leaving First Secretary Olivier Faure still in charge but no longer holding a majority and isolated within the party.
The split is driven by a dispute over the strategy for the 2027 presidential election. Faure supports a primary of the left and ecologists, continuing his push for left-wing unity. Vallaud rejects a primary and demands that the PS quickly designate its own candidate, or "chef de file," without relying on a primary process.
In a letter to Faure dated Friday, which franceinfo consulted, senator Alexandre Ouizille, Vallaud's representative, denounced a "bâclée collégialité" (botched collegiality) and a "brutalisation du fonctionnement" of party bodies, as well as a "stratégie d'isolement et d'enlisement" (strategy of isolation and stagnation).