Overview
- The Parti communiste français reconfirmed Fabien Roussel as national secretary with about 70.1% of the congress vote at the 40th congress in Lille on Sunday.
- Delegates formally decided the PCF will present a communist candidate in the 2027 presidential race and will put Roussel’s name to a militants’ vote on Sept. 6; Roussel has said he feels roughly '85%' ready to run.
- Congress delegates rejected a proposed 'clause de revoyure' in January by 66.1%, removing the planned mid‑campaign reassessment and signalling a commitment to run through the campaign.
- The leadership’s position rests on a narrower internal base than before: about 24,600 of roughly 40,000 paid members voted in June and the direction’s text won 61.4%, and several elected PCF figures argued for negotiating with La France insoumise instead of an autonomous presidential bid.
- Senior LFI figures publicly condemned the decision as a risk of splitting the left and helping the far right, a dispute that could complicate pre‑electoral pacts and affect left‑wing vote totals in both the presidential and legislative contests.