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Ex-candidate Hamon quits France's Socialist Party to start new movement

Defeated presidential candidate Benoît Hamon announces plans to establish a new 'First of July movement' aimed at rebuilding ailing Left.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

France's failed Socialist presidential candidate Benoît Hamon on Saturday announced his departure from the crisis-hit party to establish a new "First of July movement" aimed at rebuilding the ailing left, reports Yahoo! News.

"Today I have decided to quit the Socialist Party. I am leaving the party but I am not giving up on the socialist ideal," said the 50-year-old as he launched his new movement before a 11,000-strong crowd in Paris.

"The Socialist Party has perhaps had its time... My belief is that it is time to turn the page," said Hamon who was the surprise winner of the Socialist nomination for president but who crashed in the first round of the vote in May.

Scoring just 6.2 percent, he finished a humiliating fifth as voters abandoned the former ruling party which has been crippled by deep ideological divisions.

Read more of this AFP report published by Yahoo! News.