French Socialist party primary vote extended due to cyberattack

Voting, which is taking place exclusively online, began at 8am on Friday but was immediately disrupted by a cyberattack that created a "massive, artificial surge in connections," the primary's organising committee reported.

The cyberattack significantly slowed down the process without halting it, meaning that the site had drawn only 20,000 people by 7pm on Friday.

Organisers decided to extend the vote by one day, until Sunday.

By 8am Saturday, 71,250 voters , representing more than half of those registered, organisers reported.

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Some 140,000 voters are set to choose their presidential candidate from among five contenders, including the frontrunner – MEP Raphaël Glucksmann (Place Publique) and his challenger, Socialist Party (PS) leader Olivier Faure.

Also in the running are 2007 presidential candidate Ségolène Royal, Socialist MP Jérôme Guedj, and Emmanuel Maurel, an MP for the Republican and Socialist Left (GRS).

The result is expected to be made public shortly after the closing of voting on Sunday.

If a second round is necessary, it will take place on 16 and 17 October.

Investigation opened

The cybercrime unit of the Paris public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation, the office told French news agency AFP.

The National Cybersecurity Agency of France (ANSSI) has also been called in, government sources said.

Faure and Glucksmann both issued reassurances on social media platform X, stating that the integrity of the day's voting had not been compromised and noting that the platform had been secured by defense systems.

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Glucksmann, polling at 10 – 12 percent in presidential voting intentions, hopes to win in the first round, whereas Faure is hovering between 3 and 5 percent.

Even though voter turnout has so far exceeded expectations, this primary falls far short of the one that paved the way for François Hollande's victory in 2012 (which saw between 2.6 and 2.8 million voters).

The primary comes just months before the 2027 election to choose a successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, with far-right veteran candidate Marine Le Pen riding high in the polls despite a graft conviction.

(with AFP)