 As First Secretary of the PS, he promised to begin an "ideological dialogue" with the French Communist Party (PCF), which was the largest left-wing party in France at the time.He was faced with growing pressure from internal opponents insisted that he remain dependent on Mollet's followers and not to pursue the "renewal" of the party.Two years later, during the Epinay Congress, he was removed by François Mitterrand, who proposed an alliance with the Communists based on a "Common Program".