FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: THE SOCIALIST CANDIDATES

Six candidates have published their wish to participate in the Primary Debates, to be held on the 9th and 16th October, 2011 to determine the Official and Sponsored Socialist Candidate for the Presidential Election to be held in April/MAY 2012.  They are:

                          Martine Aubry
                          François Hollande
                          Ségoléne Royal

                          Arnaud Montebourg
                          Manuel Valls

                          Jean-Michel Baylet

The first three candidates have all been active leaders in the Socialist Party for a long time and have a great deal of experience.  They all worked with the former Socialist President, Francois Mitterand. it is generally expected one of these three will ultimately become the chosen candidate.

The next two candidates, Arnaud Montebourg and Manuel Valls are two young Socialists who will probably be leading challengers in the next ten to twenty years. 

As for Jean-Michel Baylet, he is President of the Radical Party of the Left, a very small Party.

To put it quite simply, it is expected that the first three candidates will get approximately 80% of the votes. The last three candidates will not get more than 20% of the total votes.  One should remember that Ségoléne Royal was the Socialist Candidate the last time but lost against Nicolas Sarkozy who became President. She may be eliminated early this time as it expected that the run-off will be between Martine Aubry and François Hollande.

Just over two months ago all the Socialist voters expected that DSK would be nominated as the Socialist Candidate, but his sudden legal problems in New York and now also in France, have put paid to any hopes he had.  Things change rapidly in the political world !!!