The socialist senator of the North, Patrick Kanner, was re-elected during the renewal of half of the upper house of the French parliament on Sunday. The list "At your side, Serve and Act, Together" led by the president of the PS group in the Senate, won 14.21% of the vote, allowing it to obtain 2 seats out of the 11 that were to be filled.
The North was one of 27 departments where more than three senators were to be elected, in this case eleven. The election was carried out by proportional representation and by list. Nationally, 170 of the 348 seats in the Senate were renewed on Sunday. They were chosen by indirect universal ballot by 78,000 "grand electors".
Patrick Kanner had set himself the goal of electing three socialist senators in his department. Sixteen lists competed for the conquest of this department. The cadre of the pink party had to face the candidacy of the dissident Martine Filleul (excluded from the PS on September 12, by the national office of the Party), also outgoing senator.
The reasons for the quarrel: the eviction of Martine Filleul from Patrick Kanner's list, in favor of Audrey Linkenheld, close to the socialist mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, and first deputy of the city, who had pushed her to set up her own list "The Alliance of Northern Territories". The latter obtained XX% of the votes.
