1, 3 and 5! No, it’s not the winning numbers in a trifecta bet, but the three constituencies in Nice where voters will head to the polls on June 10 and 17 to elect their new Deputy. These three constituencies will be under close watch following the results of the last presidential elections, with an exciting contest particularly expected in the first one!
Comprising cantons 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12, this is undoubtedly the constituency that will attract the most attention, with four prominent figures in local politics at the starting line: the outgoing UMP Deputy and President of the Alpes-Maritimes General Council, Eric Ciotti; the former Mayor of Nice, Jacques Peyrat, who will run under the National Front banner; the socialist municipal opposition leader and Vice-President of the PACA Region, Patrick Allemand; and finally, the number one of the Azure Coast Left Front and Nice municipal councilor, Robert Injey.
Four candidates representing four diametrically opposed visions will have only a few days to convince the approximately 40,000 potential voters of the constituency to make it to a runoff that appears to be heading towards a three-way contest among the top three. The only question that remains unanswered, and will remain so until the evening of June 10, is the positioning of each candidate after the first round. Logically speaking (although logic and politics do not always go hand in hand), Eric Ciotti is expected to lead, but predicting the order of Patrick Allemand and Jacques Peyrat’s results is anyone’s guess. Indeed, the first has a stronger presence in the neighborhoods comprising the constituency, but the second may benefit from the promised National Front wave. Bets are open!
In the 3rd constituency, there has been no change since 1988, with Rudy Salles (New Centre) at the helm since then. Everything should proceed without much trouble for the outgoing Deputy, except that… due to the presidential election, socialist Christine Dorejo hopes to ride the pink wave, while Gaël Nofri, a former advisor to Jacques Peyrat, will run under the National Front’s flag. However, the surprise of this constituency has been the candidacy announcement of Marouane Bouloudhnine, a former municipal councilor from Christian Estrosi’s team who recently distanced himself from them, who will be contesting under the MoDem banner. Roselyne Grac (Left Front) and Jean-Christophe Picard (Radical Left Party) will start as outsiders, hoping to play spoilsport and prevent the re-election of the outgoing Deputy in the first round, as was the case in 2007.
In the 5th constituency, Christian Estrosi (UMP), in his capacity as the outgoing Deputy, Mayor of Nice, and President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, should not need a second round, just like in 2007, to secure successive terms. Indeed, Paul Cuturello (PS) and Emmanuelle Gaziello (Left Front), opposition municipal councilors in Nice, do not seem able to pose a threat to the local right-wing strongman.
