Nice Premium: Why have the Alternatifs and the NPA decided to run together in the regional elections?
Florence Ciaravola: Because their programmatic and strategic proximities are significant: common responses to the social, ecological, and democratic emergencies; a shared desire to defeat the right and the far-right in the second round and to jointly express the viewpoint of an alternative left… especially since, unlike the PS, the PCF, and the Greens who managed it together, we are not satisfied with the “Vauzelle record” of the region!
Nice Premium: In your opinion, what are the positive points of La Gauche 100% Sociale et Ecologique compared to the other represented parties?
Florence Ciaravola: There are three.
First, we do politics differently, because alongside the NPA and the Alternatifs, citizens, syndicalists, and leaders of various associations have equally committed to animating our campaign. We work with people and not “in their place.” It’s the will to put into practice what we call active democracy in political life. For our list, politics should be the affair of everyone, instead of being confiscated by professional politicians who, moreover, indecently accumulate mandates.
Then, we are the only list to equally consider social issues, ecology, and democracy, in terms of urgency and programmatic responses to these urgencies, and to emphasize gender equality in regional public policies. Responses to these urgencies are inseparable.
Finally, our responses to the democratic urgency are strong and original, as we specify in the answer to the following question.
One last remark: since our program was made public, we have observed that several lists claiming to be on the left, others from ecology, have sometimes very recently adopted some of our programmatic proposals. We are not complaining, on the contrary!
Nice Premium: How do you plan to meet the expectations of the citizens, (your main commitments)?
Florence Ciaravola: We must stop helping at a complete loss with taxpayer money, companies that lay off or relocate.
Public money should be primarily allocated to the social and solidarity economy, to cooperative or self-managed business projects by their employees. It is time to say that public funds should go to the public, to implement a public service for professional training and to prioritize social housing. We advocate for a profound change in the working of the regional council, which should be “de-presidentialized,” radically democratized, and made transparent (enough of the clientelism and opaqueness of decisions), but we also propose to initiate active democracy with the “participatory budget” so that the population, through Citizen Forums, is associated with the major decisions of the regional council concerning budget choices and major development projects.
This is not a vague and abstract idea, but a very concrete process that has been successfully implemented in Porto Alegre and the State of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and elsewhere subsequently in Latin America, in conditions even more challenging than here. It is a way to reconcile democracy and popular participation, and it works!
Finally, on the ecological front, our priorities will consist of saying no to the continuation of the ITER and OIN programs, demanding a moratorium and a debate on the ecological reconversion of the ITER project, and a true ecological development of the Var plain.
To address both the social and ecological urgencies, to leave cars in the garage as much as possible, we have long defended the free access to public transport. Our demand for free TER is more necessary than ever.
Nice Premium: What are the weaknesses of your program?
Florence Ciaravola: This is the flip side: our program is quite comprehensive and does not settle for general formulas, there are many alternative proposals. This program requires taking some time to read it, which is a civic requirement contradictory to the current media context and a superficial approach where slogans overshadow programs. It’s up to each individual to consider whether this is an asset or a weakness of our program!
Nice Premium: What score do you hope to achieve at the end of the regional elections in the Alpes Maritimes?
Florence Ciaravola: Achieving 5% would allow us to have an impact in the political life of the region since it would make it possible to unite the entire left to defeat the right and the far-right and ensure our presence within the regional council. However, we refuse to make any predictions: the recent past has taught us to be cautious regarding polls, which often underestimate us, especially before the start of the official campaign.
Nice Premium: Do you intend to form alliances if necessary?
Florence Ciaravola: In the second round, we will do everything to defeat the right and the far-right: a union of the entire left will then be possible and necessary, based on a political agreement excluding the MODEM. As part of this agreement, we would have representatives in the regional council who wouldn’t give up anything, who will be the spokespersons of a 100% social and ecological left, in complete independence from the PS, ready to vote on all decisions moving towards a true leftist policy, a true ecological policy, representatives who will propose alternative public policies.
