The official presidential portrait of François Mitterrand, right, alongside campaign posters of Anne Hidalgo and François Hollande, in the office of the Parti Socialiste federation of Tulle, central France, June 28, 2024. MARC CHAUMEIL/DIVERGENCE
On Thursday, January 8, a small procession was set to walk through Jarnac, a small town in southwestern France and the birthplace of François Mitterrand. A handful of officials and about 20 members of the Socialists planned to honor the former president's memory. For the 30th anniversary of Mitterrand's death, the party's current leadership had sent their apologies. They were meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu as part of the negotiations on passing a budget. François Hollande, the only other Socialist to have held the same office as Mitterrand, was present, however, along with six senators and a dozen local officials.
The Socialists no longer show much passion for commemorating the two-term former president. Mitterrand lacks the prestige of older figures such as Jean Jaurès, Léon Blum and Pierre Mendès France, who, despite holding power for only a few months – or never at all in Jaurès's case – remain revered by the French left. "It's a generational issue. We feel less compelled to claim that heritage than our predecessors did. Attitudes toward François Mitterrand range from admiration for the man and his journey to a certain mistrust because of his rough edges and his darker sides. He is a divisive figure for some on the left," said Arthur Delaporte, a 34-year-old Socialist MP.
