Nice Premium: What was the agreement that united the Radical Left Party and the Socialist Party for the 2010 regional elections?
Jean-Christophe Picard: Martine Aubry, the first secretary of the Socialist Party, and Jean-Michel Baylet, the president of the Radical Left Party, signed an electoral agreement on December 17, 2009, for the regional elections. In the Alpes-Maritimes, this agreement guaranteed, “in both the 1st and 2nd round,” the 11th place to a PRG candidate, namely myself. Patrick Mennucci, Michel Vauzelle’s campaign manager, had logically pledged, with hand on heart, to respect this document… We also had two candidates in non-eligible positions. In the second round, all the Radical Left—early allies of Michel Vauzelle!—were erased from the list of 06.
N.P: What was the reason given by Michel Vauzelle when he removed you from his list?
J-C.P: Oh, because you believe that the one who was, during the entire first round campaign, the champion of Fraternity, had the delicacy to inform me and provide an explanation?
N.P: Will you protest? What actions will you undertake?
J-C.P: I do not have the reputation for letting things go. Complaints will be filed. After all, there are contract rights in France!
N.P: What are, in your opinion, the reasons for this withdrawal?
Michel Vauzelle decided to plunder the positions in the Alpes-Maritimes to accommodate candidates residing in other departments. Obviously, they will hardly ever set foot here! Thus, among the first 15 places (eligible), 4 candidates live outside the department.
N.P: Will you nevertheless invite your voters to vote for the Socialist Party?
J-C.P: No.
N.P: Otherwise, towards which list will you direct your votes?
J-C.P: I call on voters to vote, neither blank, nor null… nor for Michel Vauzelle! No vote should encourage betrayal.
N.P: If Michel Vauzelle reverses his decision, will you join his list?
J-C.P: It is no longer legally possible to reverse this scandalous decision. Moreover, I will never again make an agreement with this sorrowful character. I am ashamed to have campaigned for him.
N.P: Could the absence of your votes influence Sunday’s result?
J-C.P: The rejection of Nicolas Sarkozy’s policy is such that voters will blindly vote left! That’s precisely why Michel Vauzelle allows himself this kind of maneuver. But it is a proportional representation election… Every vote counts for the distribution of seats among the various lists.
