The struggle to become the Next Big Thing on the French left wing exploded into open warfare at the weekend as the defeated presidential candidate Ségolène Royal announced a bid to become the First Secretary, or leader, of the Socialist Party. On Thursday, the Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, who is likely to be her main rival, will publish a book called De l'Audace! (Courage!), setting out his political philosophy and ambitions. With six months to go before the Socialists choose their new leader at a conference in Reims, the pair have, in effect, joined battle for the right to be both the party chief and the candidate-elect for the presidential elections in 2012. Mme Royal, 54, has been bounced into an early declaration by the rising popularity of the gruff, moderate, competent mayor. Although his open homosexuality is regarded as a serious handicap by some political analysts, M. Delanoe, 57, is running far ahead of Mme Royal in recent national opinion polls.
The struggle to become the Next Big Thing on the French left wing exploded into open warfare at the weekend as the defeated presidential candidate Ségolène Royal announced a bid to become the First Secretary, or leader, of the Socialist Party.
On Thursday, the Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, who is likely to be her main rival, will publish a book called De l'Audace! (Courage!), setting out his political philosophy and ambitions. With six months to go before the Socialists choose their new leader at a conference in Reims, the pair have, in effect, joined battle for the right to be both the party chief and the candidate-elect for the presidential elections in 2012.
Mme Royal, 54, has been bounced into an early declaration by the rising popularity of the gruff, moderate, competent mayor. Although his open homosexuality is regarded as a serious handicap by some political analysts, M. Delanoe, 57, is running far ahead of Mme Royal in recent national opinion polls.
his open homosexuality is regarded as a serious handicap by some political analysts
I don't know which political analysts say this. Delanoë has just been reelected mayor of Paris, and there's no sign his sexual orientation has any determining effect on people's perception of him.
