Socialist Party Congress: L'Humanité organizes the debate between Olivier Faure, Boris Vallaud and Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol

They hold part of the future of the left in their hands. This Tuesday, and then on June 5, socialist activists will have choices to make: what political line do they want? Which first secretary do they want? The thorny ^81st congress of the Socialist Party did not, this time, give rise to any televised national debate. L'Humanité therefore organized, in its columns, the controversy between the three contenders. Political project, union of the left, relationship to liberalism, municipal elections, presidential elections... We interviewed Olivier Faure , outgoing deputy and first secretary, Boris Vallaud , president of the group in the Assembly, and Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol , mayor of Rouen, in the final stretch of the congress. All want to see the PS regain its place as the "engine" of the left, which it held until François Hollande's five-year term. But, between some real differences and many exaggerated disagreements, they do not exactly chart the same path. Joint interview.

Why are you running to be First Secretary of the Socialist Party?

Olivier Faure I have a deep conviction that I have consistently held since 2018: to rediscover a left capable of changing people's lives. This promise is at the heart of my commitment; it is this hope that gets me up in the morning. I know who I am fighting for and why. And I am not ready to stop!

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol Because the question all activists face is simple: are we satisfied with the state of the left and the Socialist Party? If so, there is no reason to change. But many of us believe that we can do much, much, much better to reorient the Socialist Party in a left that is too weak. This is the last moment to do so.

Boris Vallaud: I am a candidate so that, united, the Socialists are capable of uniting the left. But also of putting themselves at the service of the French people. We must face the threat of the far right. That is why I refuse to allow the Socialists to divide over false disagreements. This must be a congress of reconciliation. Unity is not unanimity. I know something about this as president of the Socialist group in the Assembly, where I build it every day.

What is your assessment of the leadership's actions since 2017, the year the weakened Socialist Party stopped governing?

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol In 2018, after the collegiate direction, Olivier...