Great turnout in the approximately 130 voting stations in Nice for this first Sunday of primaries, which, like on the national level, placed François Hollande (37%) ahead of Martine Aubry (27.50%) and Arnaud Montebourg (19.90%). In total, nearly 30,000 voters participated in this first consultative meeting in Nice.
“We didn’t expect so much!” That was the first sentence uttered by one of the officials at a voting station in downtown Nice. Although the first voters were a bit delayed in the morning, due to the Rugby World Cup and nice weather, the afternoon was lively with nearly 600 voters turning up to make their voices heard. “I’m not a socialist, but knowing I won’t vote for Nicolas Sarkozy, I wanted to first choose the one who meets my expectations.” Ms., a local resident, willingly participated in the vote, congratulated by the socialist activists present at the station during our visit.
No surprise with the winning trio, which is identical to the national results, although Arnaud Montebourg scored nearly 20%, much to the delight of his local correspondent David Nakache: “All this proves that nothing is lost and that Nice and the Côte d’Azur are not necessarily right-wing territories.” Patrick Allemand also expressed satisfaction: “It’s the reward for our many efforts leading to this tremendous popular success.”
An appointment is set for next Sunday to find out who will be on the starting line for a presidential race that promises to be much more open than some expected. Stay tuned!
