The official results have just come in for the first round of the latest cantonal elections. Discover the immediate reactions of the main political leaders from the region.
The low turnout and the significant rise of the FN are the highlights of this first round. The UMP will mostly face the National Front for the second round on March 27. The PS, on the other hand, is losing ground and sees candidates eliminated in the first round.
For Eric Ciotti, we should not be too “hasty” about the number of voters. According to him, international events are changing the results. The president of the General Council wishes to wait for the second round to gain a clearer perspective.
The low turnout for Deputy Mayor Christian Estrosi is due to the peculiarities of this election (3-year mandate and election of part of the cantons following the territorial reform). He believes the participation is low because “we are only electing part of the cantons for a brief term.” However, the mayor of Nice declared that he “fears nothing” regarding a confrontation between the UMP and the FN. For him, these elections are a matter of solidarity on issues that affect daily life.
For the Nice PS and its leader Patrick Allemand, the disappointment of losing ground is palpable. “There is a rather strong disappointment among us because two cantons will not be ours,” he confides.
