A FRONTRUNNER for the Socialist Party’s nomination for the French presidency has been forced on to the defensive over a claim that she agreed a secret deal with Dominique Strauss-Kahn on who should run for president.
In his first interview since returning to France this month, Mr Strauss-Kahn confirmed last weekend that, before his arrest on sexual assault charges in New York, he and party colleague Martine Aubry had agreed “a pact” under which they would not stand against one another in the party primary to select a candidate for the 2012 election.
After the former head of the International Monetary Fund – once the favourite for the nomination – withdrew, Ms Aubry entered the race.
Reflecting how politically toxic Mr Strauss-Kahn has become in his own party, Ms Aubry’s opponents seized on the remark, branding her a “candidate by default” and questioning her desire for the presidency.
“Do I look like a substitute candidate?” Ms Aubry retorted when asked about the pact by reporters. “The decision [to stand] had not been made. When the time came, I made my own decision.”
Allies of François Hollande, who is Ms Aubry’s main rival for the nomination to stand against French president Nicolas Sarkozy, have long questioned her desire for the Élysée Palace. During a televised debate last week, Mr Hollande himself alluded to this, saying pointedly: “If Dominique Strauss-Kahn had been a candidate, I would have been too.”
Mr Strauss-Kahn’s supporters have split between the Aubry and Hollande camps, but both candidates are reportedly worried that a public endorsement from the former finance minister could damage their campaigns.
Ms Aubry distanced herself from him for the first time this month, saying she shared many women’s concerns “about Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s attitude to women”.
Recent polls give Mr Hollande a strong lead over Ms Aubry three weeks before the primary, but her solid performance in last week’s debate has intensified the contest.
Meanwhile, Tristane Banon, the writer who has accused Mr Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape, says she will take a civil case against him if prosecutors opt against a criminal trial. French authorities will decide in the coming weeks whether there are grounds to begin a formal investigation.