Sarkozy wins it. I had hope that Segolene Royal could pull it out, but sadly, non.
Well, this is going to be very bad for the Parti Socialiste. Perhaps the French left needs to regroup, like the right did, when Chirac and his allies created the UMP out of the old Gaullist party Rallye pour la Republique. (Both Chirac in 2002 and Sarkozy in 2007 ran under the UMP banner). Perhaps the Parti Socialiste needs to create its own center-left version of the UMP, trying to draw in supporters of the centrist parties on one side, and the moderate elements of the Parti Communiste on the other. One thing's certain, the Parti Socialiste cannot stand another defeat without serious turmoil.
