(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë remains the most popular contender in the race for the leadership of the opposition Socialist Party (PS), according to a poll by CSA published in Le Parisien. 28 per cent of respondents would prefer to have Delanoë as the PS leader.

Ségolène Royal, the losing candidate in the most recent presidential election, is second on the list with 19 per cent, followed by Lille mayor Martine Aubry with 16 per cent, PS national secretary Pierre Moscovici with six per cent, lawmaker Manuel Valls with four per cent, and lawmaker Julien Dray with three per cent.

Among PS supporters, Delanoë is also the first choice with 32 per cent, this time closely followed by Royal with 26 per cent, Aubry with 23 per cent, Moscovici with seven per cent, Dray with three per cent, and Valls with two per cent.

The first round of France’s presidential election took place in April 2007. Final results put Nicolas Sarkozy of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) in first place with 31.18 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by Royal with 25.87 per cent. In the May run-off, Sarkozy defeated Royal with 53.06 per cent of the vote. Sarkozy appointed François Fillon—who had been his adviser and presidential campaign leader—as prime minister.

François Hollande, Royal’s former partner and the father of her four children, has been the PS leader since 1997. Hollande will step down later this year. The new PS leader will be chosen in November.

Earlier this month, Royal hinted at dropping out of the race, saying, "It would be honourable to put the leadership issue in the refrigerator." Royal has said she is interested in running as a presidential candidate again in 2012.

Polling Data

Out of these people, who would you prefer to take over as leader of the Socialist Party (PS) after François Hollande?

Source: CSA / Le Parisien
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 953 French adults, conducted on Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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