Nicolas Goarant, 27, is a member of the Socialist Party branch in the 20th district of Paris. He supports Martine Aubry’s motion.

We have been waiting impatiently for this congress since 2007, hoping that the impostor ‘Ségolène’ would be revealed. But the vote of motions showed that she was subtle enough to rally certain federations of the party and lean on new party recruits for support. We were hoping in vain for an agreement between the different motions and that Ségolène would be ousted. The future of the Socialist Party has been cloudy for 3 months and it’s no better now after the congress.

If we look at the figures, mathematically Martine Aubry would be the one to lead the party. Royal doesn't have more supporters than her. People in favour of Hamon's motion should think about voting tactically for Aubry.

If Ségolène Royal wins it, there will be a real split as it's out of the question to continue with her as leader. Many militants dislike her personality, her practices and the fact that she's willing to form an alliance with the centre. The problem with Ségolène is her personal ambition. When she puts on her make-up in the morning, she just thinks of the 2012 presidential election. She has become a stranger at the heart of the Socialist Party, she doesn't respect the way the party functions and I think that, if defeated, she will carry on alone.

A Socialist Party militant since 2006, Didier Antonelli, 45, is one of the infamous « 20-euro militants » (recruits who benefited from a reduced rate – 20 instead of 50 euros - to join the party when it was looking to recruit members) who supports Royal.

I am very disappointed by what has come out of the congress. Our image is tarnished by internal divisions and the media are right to jeer at us. We deserve it. I hope that the militants who supported Bertrand Delanoë will not march to his orders to support Martine Aubry.

In Reims, we attended three days of anti-Ségolène vitriol. This rejection is just motivated by jealousy. Ségolène Royal is the most media-friendly candidate on the list. She is the only one who can thoroughly reform and modernise the Socialist Party. My party comrades who support other motions need to realise that she is the only one that can beat Sarkozy come 2012. She and her methods bother people but she still amassed the largest number of votes for her motion. Do we expel the one person who tells the truth and doesn’t veer off her path, despite waves of change? "

Bastien Recher has been a militant supporter since 2001. This 31-year-old teacher is a supporter of Hamon.

Despite all of the negative things I’ve been hearing about the Reims congress, I think that it allowed the Socialist Party to get out of its social-liberalist impasse and re-orient itself back to the left, despite members being divided over the direction of the party. The media focus on our problems and on the leadership contest because it’s more exciting- they dream of seeing a duel between Royal and Delanoë.

I think it’s a shame that people weren’t more aware of Benoît Hamon’s candidature, which could have avoided these internal struggles. He isn’t thinking of a presidential bid but incarnates the party’s future, firmly anchored to the left. In maintaining his candidature, he avoids Thursday’s vote being a sort of primary between Aubry and Royal, where people choose someone without taking into account the debates and ideas. A bit like the US Democrats.

I will never vote for Ségolène as long as she keeps her political line, even if she, in her own way, represents some kind of change. She wants to change the very nature of the party by confiscating political debate and silencing opposing voices. It’s not a problem of the person – I’ll vote for Martine Aubry if that turns out to eb the scenario. It’s the ‘Ségolène style’ that annoys socialist culture, this shameless ‘tele-evangelist’ side to her that shocks militants expecting political propositions rather than sermons. "