Paris (AFP)
Fabien Roussel was invested Sunday as a presidential candidate in 2022 by a large majority (more than 73%) of the more than 800 members of the national conference of communists, gathered in videoconference this weekend.
"I ask other left forces and environmentalists to respect our choice," Roussel said after the vote, warning that he would go "to the end".
"Let us work together while respecting our diversity," he added, appealing to all the left, parties and citizens, to "conclude a pact" for 2022.
This is the first time since 2007 that the PCF has presented a candidate, the two previous times, in 2012 and 2017, the choice having been to support Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the rebels.
The 50,000 or so Communist members have yet to validate Mr. Roussel's candidacy on May 9.
73.57% of the 889 delegates voted in favor of their party's national secretary.
The other two candidates, Emmanuel Dang Tran (activist in Paris XVth) and Grégoire Munck (Val-de-Marne) each obtained 1.97% of the votes.
22.48% abstained.
Mr. Roussel was elected national secretary in 2018 on the promise that the PCF would have a candidate in 2022.
Internally, however, Mr. Roussel faces a mini-sling, around 200 executives and activists opposing a PCF candidacy in 2022.
Marie-George Buffet, ex-minister and ex-number one of the PCF, who was her party's candidate in 2007, has already supported Mr. Mélenchon.
Without going that far, the deputy Sébastien Jumel estimated as a "man of the left", that it would be necessary "to choose the best of us to carry the battle against Macron".
© 2021 AFP