The Alpes-Maritimes support committee for Ségolène Royal’s candidacy, “Désirs d’Avenir 06”, held an informational meeting on Wednesday evening. Alongside Patrick Mennucci, Vice-President of the Regional Council and responsible for Ségolène Royal’s travel arrangements, Marc Concas, general councilor of Alpes-Maritimes, Frédérique Gregoire-Concas, municipal councilor of Nice, and Marc Orsatti, President of the Union of Socialist and Republican Elected Officials of Alpes-Maritimes and municipal councilor of Saint-Laurent du Var, numerous Socialist Party members, Valérie Nucéra, head of the local support committee, as well as curious non-members, gathered to learn more about Madame Royal. The memory of Ségolène Royal’s visit on March 25th to Nice is still fresh, where her popularity was evident in the overflowing room at the Hôtel Aston.
Two months later, at the headquarters of the PS 06, the atmosphere is friendly. Here, Ségolène Royal is highly admired, and even those not aligned with the PS endorse her ideas – a sort of royalist stronghold!
Patrick Mennucci’s presence is felt as a boon. He is well-versed in Ségolène Royal’s political ideas and directions. The Marseille socialist, with his melodious accent, speaks straightforwardly. This meeting is a simple gathering of colleagues. Drawing on anecdotes from Ségolène’s life, he confirms his close relationship with the President of Poitou-Charentes. He emphasizes her strengths: “She has never stopped living. She is grounded in real life. I can attest to that having dined at her home. She is just like all French people. Politically, she has the ability to understand the French and act for them. They feel it.”
Behind his lengthy monologue, a strategic electoral plan for the internal socialist party election emerges. He advocates for a unified approach for all Ségolène Royal supporters: do not attack other candidates. It is a “Royal” style, the one he has chosen even though he admits it is sometimes hard for him not to respond to some attacks: “One must remain calm and determined without demeaning or disparaging others.”
A debate follows. Even though the audience is already in favor of Royal, as with all citizens, the image alone is not enough. Questions arise that seek to clarify her future program more precisely, on which her Presidential aspirations depend. Poverty, immigration, senate reform, European Union: all significant themes are discussed. Marc Concas and Patrick Mennucci engage in the dialogue, outlining Ségolène Royal’s priorities on each topic. “For her, societal issues stem from children’s education. Thus, she intends to establish a public service from 5 pm to 7 pm in middle schools to help students with their homework,” explains the Marseille socialist, continuing, “With this system, plus citizen consultations through referendums on major reforms and mandatory voting for union representation, she hopes to mobilize the French more effectively.” The supporters seem convinced. The message has been delivered. They must now persuade their fellow socialists that Ségolène Royal is the ideal candidate. For the non-members, Frédérique Grégoire-Concas reminds that to support Ségolène Royal for the candidature, one must join the party before June 1st. With less than a year to the presidential elections, the race is on. Who will prevail among Laurent Fabius, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Jack Lang, Ségolène Royal…? The answer will come by the end of November or early December. Until then, the debates will continue.
