The Socialist primary is struggling to take off, at least during this pre-festive period. We are still at the stage of candidacy declarations, initial program or political line announcements, endorsements, and support groups.
In the Alpes-Maritimes, where the presence of the left is a significant minority, the “tripolization” between Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s “frontists”, Macronist “walkers”, the ecologists, and the socialists (who are themselves divided into several factions and as many candidates) certainly doesn’t promote momentum.
Quite the contrary, each one is closely watching the other in search of the few militants, sympathizers, and voters that they’ll have to share.
From the outside, and considering the predictions that suggest leftist candidates will be absent in the second round of the presidential election, it feels like watching a “consolation” round, the competition of the losers.
In any case, speaking of the “Belle Alliance” primary which has shrunk to just the socialists, it’s certainly not going to be the voters from the Côte d’Azur who will decisively influence the outcome of the competition.
The party is severely lacking in the number of registered members (around 400), elected officials (only one national elected official, Senator Marc Daunis; only one significantly sized municipality, Valbonne; only one elected official in the Departmental Council, Marie-Louise Gourdon; and no regional councillors), and thus… voters.
The real challenge of this primary will be for the local PS to get people to come to the polling stations.
For now, we’ve recorded only two declarations of support for the candidates.
The first is from the departmental secretary, Xavier Garcia: “I have a lot of respect for several other candidates, but Manuel Valls seems to me the only one both capable of preventing the announced Fillon-Le Pen duel and embodying the republican values and social justice that are the cement of the left,” he justified.
The other is from the trio Yann Librati, Paul Cuturello, and Mélanie Russo, who represent the party’s left wing: “In front of François Fillon, who embodies the most liberal right, we need a combative and uninhibited left. I believe Benoit Hamon, with his background, personality, and proposals, is the best positioned today to fight this battle and build a fairer, more protective France.”
