Olivier Faure, the boss of the Socialist Party (PS), affirmed on Monday that Jérôme Guedj is the legitimate socialist candidate for the legislative elections in Essonne under the New Popular Front. Despite Guedj's rejection of this label due to past violent attacks by La France insoumise (LFI), Faure stated that Guedj is the only candidate who has their support. Jérôme Guedj emphasized his stance last week, explaining that he cannot run under the Popular Front label due to profound differences with the LFI leadership, citing experiences of anti-Semitic attacks.
The constituency is contested by Generations candidate Hella Kribi-Romdhane, who claims her candidacy 'in the name of the New Popular Front' with a substitute from LFI. However, Faure maintains that candidates opposing Guedj do not have the Popular Front’s support and have gone into dissidence. According to the agreement among the left alliance parties, the constituency belongs to the PS, and any dissident candidates lack the Popular Front's backing.
In another constituency, Faure expressed his unwavering support for Raquel Garrido, the outgoing LFI deputy, against Aly Diouara, the officially nominated candidate under the New Popular Front in Seine-Saint-Denis. Faure also contested the candidacy of the rebellious anti-fascist candidate Raphaël Arnault in Vaucluse, endorsing an unnamed candidate who he believes truly represents the Popular Front's values, and called for voters to support him.
Meanwhile, a false rumor has been circulating about Habib Beye, a former Olympique de Marseille player and National champion with Red Star, supposedly running in the legislative elections in Bouches-du-Rhône. This misinformation was debunked as Beye is not a candidate. The actual candidate for the 7th constituency is the outgoing deputy Sébastien Delogu, who is well positioned for re-election under the union of the left, particularly backed by LFI, PS, and Europe Ecology - the Greens. Delogu secured his seat with a significant margin in the 2022 elections, and he has already begun his 2023 campaign.
The fake news about Beye’s candidacy was quickly contradicted. There were no traces of him as a substitute either. Beye, instead, seems to focus on his career in football management, with no current intentions of joining the National Assembly. This development comes as Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton's Italian coach, is expected to join Olympique de Marseille, closing that door for Beye.
- Olivier Faure has been vocal about his desire to maintain unity within the Popular Front, despite the internal conflicts and allegations of violent attacks within the left-wing factions. His support for Jerôme Guedj and Raquel Garrido represents an effort to align the broader objectives of the Socialist Party with stable candidacies.
- The debunking of the fake news regarding Habib Beye highlights the volatile nature of social media and the rapid spread of misinformation. It also points to a broader trend in the political landscape where public figures from various fields, like sports, are sometimes falsely linked to political movements.
- In the backdrop of these local political battles lies a larger narrative of the left's struggle to present a unified front, amidst internal divisions and the challenge of competing ideologies. Such divisions can potentially weaken their overall impact in national politics.
