Olivier Faure (left) and Boris Vallaud at a "united left" rally in Paris, January 15, 2026. ISA HARSIN/SIPA
T
he attack came as a surprise and sent shockwaves through France's Socialists. MP Boris Vallaud had stayed silent recently. But the day after the second round of municipal elections, on Monday, March 23, Vallaud, usually so measured, delivered a harsh indictment against Socialist leader Olivier Faure. "Many French people did not understand what our position was," the head of the party's group at the Assemblée Nationale said on RTL radio, lamenting the "strategic ambiguity" of the leadership. "Yes, the alliances with La France Insoumise [LFI, radical left] did not work. Yes, La France Insoumise made us lose," Vallaud asserted, criticizing a lack of "clarity."
"It's a shame he didn't share his disagreement with us earlier. Nor did he manage to persuade Olivier Bianchi in Clermont-Ferrand," said Luc Broussy, president of the Socialists' national council, referring to a member of Vallaud's faction who himself forged an alliance with LFI. "It's always comfortable to wait until the end of the season to only criticize the losses. But obviously, these analyses are driven by a different timetable," added Broussy, a close ally of Faure.
