(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in France would like Bertrand Delanoë to become the next leader of the Socialist Party (PS), according to a poll by CSA published in Le Parisien. 25 per cent of respondents—and 30 per cent of PS supporters—want the Paris mayor to head the country’s main opposition party.

Ségolène Royal, the losing candidate in the most recent presidential election, is second on the list with 21 per cent, followed by Lille mayor Martine Aubry with 15 per cent, lawmaker Manuel Valls with seven per cent, PS national secretary Pierre Moscovici with five per cent, and lawmaker Julien Dray with four 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 is expected to step down later this year.

In May, Delanoë published a political manifesto arguing that being a homosexual and in favour of pro-liberal market policies would not hinder his chances of becoming France’s next president. Royal criticized the Paris mayor’s economic views, saying, "In the 21st century, being liberal and a socialist is completely incompatible".

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 1,008 French adults, conducted on Jun. 4 and Jun. 5, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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