The people of Nice love their Mayor. Proof of this is that when Christian Estrosi suggested they vote “no” to what he insists on calling the “privatization” of the Nice airport, they overwhelmingly (97%) answered his call.
Unfortunately, it was only a small minority (16.71%) that went to the polls, further undermining this already troubled referendum. Representation, where are you?
Nevertheless, the mayor of Nice expressed his satisfaction with this result and promises fireworks for the future (@estrosi: the Government must take this undeniable result into account). The fact is that such a setback diminishes the credibility of its promoters.
So much effort and means of propaganda and organization* for such a meager result… All that for this?
Let’s hope Christian Estrosi learns from this failure and does not persist: anachronism is indeed the father of ideologies and inflexibility ultimately is only an admission of powerlessness.
In the upcoming difficult relations with the Government, this result will be of no help and overlaps with the amendments presented by the mayor of Nice, which were rejected during the parliamentary debate. On that occasion, it was his party colleagues and those from the Alpes-Maritimes, with the exception of Rudy Salles, who did not give him their support (were all the absences well justified?). Yesterday, it was the voters who did not respond “in mass” to the call and overlooked it.
Moreover, this type of voting will indeed be mentioned in the future to call for other more pertinent consultations with the associated risks: how will the mayor of Nice refuse?
The summary of this flop is in Gaël Nofri’s comments: “Until yesterday morning, the people of Nice were 100% against the privatization, as well as all the parties and groups that spoke in the City Council. This result shows they are barely more than 15%!”
Other politicians were quick to place the responsibility for this failure on Christian Estrosi.
Marc-André Domergue (FN) is among the most caustic: “The Mayor’s communication operation turned out to be a charade and the people of Nice considered it as such. The response? They didn’t go to vote.”
The Socialist Party, through its departmental secretary Xavier Garcia, is equally critical: “Once again, the people of Nice paid dearly for the personal communication of the mayor of Nice, who cared little for the effectiveness of his initiative as long as it was talked about.”
Before abandoning the refusal stance for an opening toward a governance agreement: “It is through other means, less loud but more effective, that we must now mobilize to obtain guarantees on the control of our airport, a major instrument of economic development and regional planning.”
Patrick Allemand, president of the Socialist and Green opposition group in the City and Metropolitan Council, is also outspoken: “Despite the massive communication expenses paid by the taxpayers of Nice, the pressing encouragement given to city employees to go and vote, and the support from the French Communist Party, the participation rate barely reaches 16.7%.”
To conclude by rubbing salt in the open wound: “Starting from an exceptional political situation on December 19 last, with the unanimous agreement of political groups in the city council, this result was achieved!”
Only the communists, unusual allies of the UMP, express their satisfaction in solitude: “The participation in this referendum is a pleasant surprise!”
For their local leader Robert Injey: “Faced with the government’s strong-arm tactics at the National Assembly, the vote is clear. It marks the massive rejection (97%) of one of the measures of the Macron law. And for many voters who expressed themselves today, it also marks the rejection of the social regression carried by this law.”
Before delivering his strike for the future: “This first experience should encourage the mayor of Nice to have the same democratic boldness to organize a referendum on the choice of the tunnel for line 2 of the tramway, or even the development of the Ray district…”
What will the mayor of Nice do, then?
A good piece of advice? Let him quietly enjoy the Carnival, after all, his referendum will soon be forgotten.
