The national council of the French Socialist Party (PS) voted on Saturday to establish a "homogeneous direction" by evicting Laurent Fabius, former prime minister and number two of the party, said the party's spokesman Julien Dray.

The vote was adopted by 167 to 122 with 18 abstentions, said Francois Rebsamen, number three of the party.

"The guiding and organization proposition of the party's direction was approved with a majority," he hailed.

Fabius advocated with some PS dissidents to reject the European Union constitutional treaty at the May 29 referendum, while the party voted in favor of the charter at an internal referendum within the party.

The national council also voted for convoking an anticipated congress of the party on Nov. 18.

Claude Bartolone, defender of Fabius, who was also squeezed out of the direction, called it "a bad day for the PS", "a day of division and liquidation" in a "detestable" atmosphere.

"We are going to continue our battle to reassemble as large as possible," he declared, noting "the socialists have other things to propose than calling to account."

Source: Xinhua