I’m not confused at all. I used France specifically as an example. Mitterand was a socialist. His cabinet was filled with socialists and communists.

My point is all along that what people, and countries, call themselves and the policies governments enact very often don’t coincide with book definitions of socialist, communist or democratic (and those definitions are often disagreed about).

I agree there are no speicific authoritarian policies found in socialist systems. Thank you.

I can’t debate about Venezuela, Laos, or Vietnam because I don’t know enough details about them. China, the USSR and Cuba were never socialists. In each case a small ruling cabal, or in the case of Cuba, a dictator has been in charge from day one.

Not ironically, I can easily claim the same thing has happened in the US, particularly since the 90s when Ross Perot made a good run as an independent. The Ds and Rs function nearly exactly like factions that existed or exist inside the Politburo or the CCP. Sham elections. Huge problems (e.g. Dem Iowa caucuses 2020).