A small “bombshell” is circulating in political circles: Eric Ciotti would not support (the conditional is appropriate) Gaston Franco, the indefatigable mayor of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, in the race for the (re)election to the mayor’s office.
To tell the truth, some rumors were leaking from here and there but… so much is being said at the moment! Furthermore, the excellent relationships between the two politicians were well known, with Eric Ciotti being born in the chief town of the Vésubie.
How could we forget that it was thanks to the resignation of this same Gaston Franco that the current President of the General Council was able to find a seat as a general councilor and, in the process, the chair of head magistrate of the department he occupies today.
It is true that Gaston Franco was generously rewarded with the top position on the departmental list for the regional elections to become successively a European Deputy.
But, apparently, Eric Ciotti’s favored candidate would be Christian Airaut, the current deputy mayor. So it goes…
However, the walls are also said to be privy to a probable presence, on his list, of Caroline Magne-Ciotti who would thus make her official debut in politics, a way to warm up for a possible, even likely, bigger leap: A seat on the General Council on the occasion of the next elections, which will see the implementation of the parity principle requiring parties to recruit a large number of female candidates.
And who can deny the personal and political competence of the wife of the President of the General Council?
It remains to be understood, if the information proves to be confirmed, the attitude of Christian Estrosi, the canton of the Vésubie being part of his electoral constituency for parliament. Gaston Franco, being one of his most loyal allies and a good link to the voters of his territory, what side will the Deputy-President-Mayor take in case of a showdown between the outgoing mayor and his new competitor? Eric Ciotti having indicated that he would like to see Christian Airaut, the current deputy mayor, lead the list in the next elections while the European deputy, Gaston Franco, does not seem inclined to be sidelined.
There will also be an interesting key to understanding if this episode is the first crack in a presumed distancing between the two key figures of the right in Nice.
After all, isn’t it in the autumn that the leaves fall?
