Ségolène Royal, a candidate in the social-democratic primary, criticized Raphaël Glucksmann, her rival, for what she described as his supposed inexperience and "lack of understanding of the people," suggesting that electing him as president would be akin to "putting a trainee in charge of a company." Glucksmann responded to her comments on Monday morning. The first debate among candidates for the social-democratic primary will take place on Wednesday, September 23, on LCI, but the attacks have already begun. On Sunday, Royal criticized Glucksmann, stating in an interview with Libération that she distinguished herself from the Place publique eurodeputy by emphasizing her "experience." "As a socialist woman, I have proven myself in the difficult exercise of democratic leadership at the local, national, and international levels," she said. Royal continued, "To lead a country, you must already have a profession. Or have led at least a local community or a state structure and achieved concrete positive results." She added, "You don't put a trainee in charge of a company. It's dangerous." These criticisms were reiterated later on the BFMTV show. With less than three weeks until the first round of the primary, organized by the Socialist Party and Place publique, scheduled for October 9 and 10, Royal explained that she had chosen to campaign for "a peaceful France, without brutality or cynicism, therefore without desperate social movements because they will have been managed beforehand with listening, wisdom, and humility." She also stated that she wanted to differentiate herself from Macronism and claimed that "two political lines" would be competing in the upcoming primary within the social-democratic camp. Her line, which she described as "Mitterrandist," would be to "unite one's camp at the first round of a presidential election, without sectarianism; at the second, on this foundation, one expands." She explained that with her, "the alliance will be with the ecologists and the communists." She said, "Not with the center or the right under the pretext of blocking La France insoumise." She argued that the other line, which she is opposing, would be to "go scrounging at the center and right at the first round, and then if we are too weak to block LFI, we will ally with the Macronist candidate from the first round against ministries and constituencies." This option, she claimed, would lead to the "disappearance" of the Socialist Party and the rise of the National Rally. Glucksmann responded on Franceinfo on Monday morning, criticizing Royal's approach. "At a time when France is going through such a crisis (...) when the far right is at the gates of power, Madame Royal decides that I am her first target. This is not at all the level," he said. However, the Place publique eurodeputy also addressed Royal's political career, acknowledging one point: "She is right to point out that I have not been in politics for 45 years, that I have not asked for positions for 45 years, with Emmanuel Macron to be a minister or end up as an ambassador, that I have not then chosen Jean-Luc Mélenchon out of spite." He assured that Royal "will not win this primary," as "the French reject this type of politics," and added that he has "no desire to be a trainee with people who do politics this way" and that all of this "discredits the entire political class." Other candidates in the race include Olivier Faure, Jérôme Guedj, and Emmanuel Maurel.