France's Socialists face test of endurance

The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung describes the party conference of France's Socialist Party (PS), which was held last weekend in Reims, as a "debacle". "Why shouldn't the party patched together by François Mitterrand from several smaller parties and clubs at a party conference in Epinay in 1971 split up into its individual components once more? For a decade now the French Socialists have had no success at a national level, their (several) wings represent ideologically irreconcilable positions and their leading figures can't stand each other. ... The delegates failed to reach a consensus about the candidate for the party leadership [at the conference]. Now the members are to achieve this through a primary election. Everything points to a duel between the unsuccessful presidential candidate [Ségolène] Royal and Martine Aubry, the mayor of Lille. ... But whatever the outcome, it's already clear that it will lead the party into a test of endurance."

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