Nice Premium: Nicolas Sarkozy is elected President of the Republic. What is your reaction to this result?
Elodie Jomat: First, I would like to extend a huge thank you to Ségolène Royal, who, by defending our values with unsuspected fervor and exceptional energy, brought the left to the second round. I will not be one of those who cast stones at her.
I want to tell everyone who participated in the campaign that I share their bitterness. But this defeat does not mean that we are laying down our arms… quite the contrary!
More broadly, I understand the disappointment of the most vulnerable and those who were most hopeful, who had placed their hopes in the united left. I want to reassure them: it is not our intention to forget them or to give up defending them.
It is important to remember that here, in the Alpes-Maritimes, we are accustomed to fighting hard right. They do not intimidate us!
Patrick Allemand: A lot of concern. The remarks we made during the campaign regarding the choice of society, the preservation of the French social model were not just typical demonizing talk; they were completely sincere.
With that said, what concerns me is the general interest, the interest of the French people. I wish for them that Nicolas SARKOZY succeeds because otherwise the wake-up will be difficult.
NP: 53% of the votes for the UMP candidate against 47% for the PS representative. How would you analyze this gap?
EJ: The UMP steamroller worked perfectly. We thought that our participative campaign, which brought us into direct contact with citizens, could compensate for the right’s control over the media and state resources. We have to recognize that it was not enough.
PA: This gap is logical. I would even say it could have been worse. We must not forget that the total left-wing vote at the end of the first round was only 36%. Therefore, it perfectly negotiated the second round, sufficiently reassuring the far-left so that the assembly occurred under good conditions while also reaching out to the centrists. Convergences on a certain idea of the Republic, an impartial state, and modernization of institutions allowed to go far beyond its natural base. Conversely, SARKOZY had a high starting point and gathered less, but enough to win.
NP: More than 65% (PACA: 62% and 06: 68%) of Nice voters voted for Nicolas Sarkozy. Your thoughts on this dramatic defeat for some and a resounding victory for others in the Azur region?
EJ: The electoral terrain in Nice is sociologically more favorable to the right than to the left. Therefore, Nicolas Sarkozy’s victory was naturally amplified here. The local right should not see this as an encouragement to continue their antics!
PA: Indeed, it is a severe defeat. Its magnitude affects the entire Region, even if the Alpes Maritimes win the prize. It is the National Front electorate that was completely siphoned off, both in the first and second rounds. Notably, the bourgeois FN electorate, as for the populist FN electorate, the fear of ultraliberalism, the need for protection also brought some back to the left. Moreover, here, Rudy SALLES’s clear calls to vote for SARKOZY, well-identified as the leader of the UDF, did not facilitate the expected transfers. All this explains the very high level of SARKOZY.
NP: What made Nicolas Sarkozy more convincing in the Southeast?
EJ: Nicolas Sarkozy’s takeover of the FN worked better here simply because the FN scores better here than elsewhere. Additionally, there has long been a porousness between the right and the far-right, notably in Nice whose mayor is a former member of Jean-Marie Le Pen’s party.
PA: The porousness between the discourse of a far-right and that of the extreme right. These voters hope that SARKOZY will implement LE PEN’s program. The very strong need for authority that can be felt on the ground, in the markets by talking with people.
Moreover, there is also a real class vote in the southeast. The tax shield at 50%, the exemption from inheritance taxes, all contribute to significant results. Look at SARKOZY’s score in places like Mougins or in certain polling stations in Nice like col de Villefranche.
NP: In a few weeks, the legislative elections will be upon us. How do you foresee the trend in these upcoming elections?
EJ: With a compliant Senate and Medef’s support, Nicolas Sarkozy is about to consolidate all powers. It is imperative that, wherever possible, we set up counter-powers to defend, tooth and nail, the republican values. The resistance starts today.
For now, it’s about sending to the National Assembly, on June 10 and 17, 2007, the largest number of deputies resolved to defend public freedoms and the impartiality of the State.
Also, I call on all those who want to bring victory to the left in the 3rd constituency of the Alpes-Maritimes to join me.
Strong in my convictions which, unlike others, have not changed along the way, my determination is complete.
PA: The legislative elections will be very difficult for us. The inversion of the electoral calendar favors confirming the presidential election result. The message to pass to the voters is that it is necessary for the Socialist Party to have a very strong parliamentary group in the National Assembly to resist the ultraliberal purge that SARKOZY is preparing us for. We must avoid a blue wave that would give the UMP absolutely all the powers in this country.
NP: Finally, what did you retain as the most important in this presidential election?
EJ: This election revealed that the French are once again passionate about politics, which is excellent news. It also demonstrated that a woman could become president of the Republic, which is not insignificant. Mostly, I think that, considering the new methods that the united left put in place, electoral campaigns will never be conducted as before.
PA: The exceptional participation rate. One of the highest, confirming a trend that began in the regional elections and continued with the referendum of May 29, democracy is returning to France, citizens are returning to the polls.
