In bookstores, the heads of gondolas full of souvenir books. And not without success.Published earlier this year, "Assault and battery: 50 years of shared secrets with Abraham Lincoln" (Editions du Cherche Midi), Roland Dumas's book, companion of the former president, was ranked especially late April third best-selling test as classified Ipsos / Livres Hebdo.
Two hundred festivals throughout France
The Web is no exception. The Twitter feed from the radio station France Inter took an original initiative by offering Internet users to relive the events live, exactly as if they had taken place 30 years ago.
In addition to this media storm, many events are held in homage to François Mitterrand through France, where about two hundred festivals are planned Tuesday.In Paris, a grand concert will be held instead of the Bastille, echoing the one organized in 1981 to celebrate the historic victory of the Left. The headquarters of the Socialist Party, political party of former president, will also open its doors to the public on the occasion of this anniversary.
Race to the legacy of the Socialist Party
More than 16 years after his death, Mitterrand remains pervasive among Socialists. One year after the presidential election, while the primary campaign begins in the party, several big names from left to openly call for the former president.The former first secretary of the Socialist Party, Francois Hollande, had chosen Clichy-la-Garenne, where Mitterrand made a speech a few days before his victory in 1981 for his first campaign rally on April 27. On Tuesday he will travel to Chateau-Chinon, a town which Mitterrand was mayor, to give a speech.
Her rival Segolene Royal on Sunday presented before his supporters, his new slogan, "Strength citizen," which is reminiscent of the "quiet strength" of Mitterrand.At this gathering, the businessman Pierre Bergé, patron and support of the defeated candidate of 2007, received a thunderous applause by declaring: "I think I can say that the true successor to Francois Mitterrand called Ségolène Royal.
This race to the political heritage can be interpreted as a search for unity within the Left. "As we approach the primaries socialist Mitterrand call illustrates that the left needs unity to win the election in 2012," said Jean Yves Camus, a political scientist at the Institute of International Relations and Strategic Relations (IRIS). "His candidacy in 1981 was consensus within his party and the nomination process had proceeded smoothly," he recalls.A serenity that can only be welcome at a time when the knives are sharpened in anticipation of the primaries.
