If the outcome was expected because, quite logically, it is the opponents of a project who participate in this type of initiative, the number of citizens who turned out to vote in the 37 polling stations is nevertheless a pleasant surprise for the organizers with 8,483 voters.
Moreover, the president of the municipal opposition group “Changer d’Ere,” Patrick Allemand, immediately gave a political interpretation: “We gave the people of Nice a voice, and they took it!”
He continued by explaining, “Participatory democracy is not about asking the people of Nice to go to a hall during the workweek to respond to a public consultation, which remains a debate among insiders, often confidential. We have demonstrated that true democracy is about going to the people of Nice and offering them the opportunity to express themselves in 37 polling stations across the city.”
The people of Nice expressed themselves massively, with a total of 8,483 voters. They overwhelmingly and unsurprisingly rejected the underground passage of line 2, with 7,737 votes against (91.35%), 731 votes for (8.63%), and 13 blank or null ballots.
“The mayor of Nice can no longer ignore or dismiss this strong and powerful message sent by the people. In any case, he is now faced with his responsibilities. If he persists, it will no longer be against the opposition but against the opinion of the people of Nice, and he will have to take responsibility for that,” concluded Patrick Allemand.
Will Christian Estrosi choose to move forward without paying attention to the result of this consultation, which, it must be remembered, is purely symbolic in nature? Or will he revise his plans based on the final result?
Another potential obstacle looms with the upcoming decision from the Administrative Court regarding the appeal filed by elected officials from various local political parties or movements.
At this rate, it won’t be tomorrow that a ticket for line 2, which has become the spearhead of local political rivalries, will be validated.
And what about public utility in all of this?
