The arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a prominent member of France’s Socialists, could not have come at a worse time for his party. Just a little less than a year before the April 22 first round of presidential elections, the popular frontrunner looked set to thrash current President Nicolas Sarkozy in the polls, potentially sweeping the Socialists back into the presidential palace.

Meeting on Tuesday to discuss the party’s response to Strauss-Kahn’s arrest and imminent trial on sexual assault allegations, some party members have staunchly defended Strauss-Kahn while others have taken a cautious step back.

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