Who will be the next deputy in the National Assembly? And what if, on the contrary, it was a female deputy?
Christian Estrosi had announced it as one of his commitments during his electoral campaign. In case of victory, he would have given up the position of Mayor of Nice and national deputy, keeping only that of President of the Metropole.
Since then, legal recourses, conveniently timed, allow him to gain a bit of time.
However, legal details don’t sit well with public opinion’s growing “anti-elite” sentiment, to the point of perceiving it as a maneuver to accumulate allowances (even though these, in all cases, are capped!).
Christian Estrosi, who is very astute in such situations, didn’t waste time taking the initiative: “This will be resolved very quickly. We don’t have the right to betray the voters. It’s a commitment I made to them, and it’s a promise I will keep,” he reaffirmed. “As soon as the legal analyses verify the credibility of Marion Maréchal Le Pen’s appeal against my election, I will resign from the National Assembly.”
Besides, with the 2017 legislative elections, the ban on holding multiple offices will take effect, and in any case, he would have had to choose between a local and a national mandate.
His succession as mayor is less important because, whoever the elected person is, it is evident that Christian Estrosi, who will remain a municipal councilor and the president of the metropolis, will want to keep control and will appoint an executor. The right to speak and the visibility of a deputy will be largely offset by his presence at the head of the regional executive, whose scope of powers has been significantly increased by the NOTRe law and which, in terms of power, will weigh much more than a ministerial portfolio.
That being said, who will be the lucky one to replace Christian Estrosi on the benches of the Palais Bourbon after a by-election with an expected outcome favoring the LR candidate?
The position is one that makes more than a few salivate…
However, a candidacy is emerging on the horizon: that of Marine Brenier, the young jurist from Nice, who has more than one qualification and talent to aspire to it, or even deserve it.
President of the Young Republicans of the Alpes-Maritimes and also nationally, she represents the new political class, an expression of renewal that parties increasingly need to face future challenges.
Elected since 2008 to the Municipal Council of Nice and deputy for the West-City territory and departmental councilor, where she was elected in tandem with Eric Ciotti. These two territories, communal and departmental, are part of the electoral constituency where Christian Estrosi is the “historical” elect.
All conditions are therefore met for this choice, which would be more than relevant: besides, it is time for “fresh faces” (as Henry Kissinger, who had some expertise in the matter, used to say) to start taking charge instead of old notables who may have served their time.
Moreover, Marine Brenier was also one of Christian Estrosi’s spokespersons during the regional campaign.
Should we see it as an early signal?
