Eric Ciotti had packed the large hall of a palace on the Promenade des Anglais, while Christian Estrosi spoke to a “sold-out” audience. The competition continues, even at a distance.
Then, there was the novelty of the scenario: instead of the traditional speech at a podium, there was a question-and-answer session with people from the audience and a conclusion while walking around.
A new style, a guarantee of the closeness that will be the leitmotif of someone who wants to be “a man freer than ever” during the long electoral campaign that, in some way, began last night.
Christian Estrosi, known for his intuition, didn’t need the Yellow Vests (a group close to him—who will today announce the formation of a list for the European elections—was present in the room) to understand that the traditional party system was failing.
All socio-political analyses show that the majority of voters have moved from representative democracy of parties to that of leaders.
Moreover, as a sign of the times, historical parties are in crisis in all countries and, in France, the emergence and affirmation of Emmanuel Macron’s presidential party is the most recent and striking example.
For the old leaders, whether they are in service and sometimes old in age, a change in approach is imperative: innovate or take the path to obsolescence.
Christian Estrosi, always one step ahead, has distanced himself from his party without abandoning it for tactical reasons—will the Republicans have the courage to deny him the endorsement for the 2020 municipal elections?—created Les Amis du Maire as an association—Nice Ensemble will be the electoral platform for the union with centrists Rudy Salles and other groups or individuals from civil society—at the local level, and La France Audacieuse, the gathering of right and center mayors at the national level, allowing him to have freedom of action regarding government policies.
The evening resembled a small theatrical performance, with the public instead of elected officials forming the audience and citizens… volunteers engaging in a subtle game of asking questions that elicited applause-worthy responses. A fine exercise in communication that could be defined as “speaking frankly” if the presentations weren’t just an inventory of the past and future actions of the Mayor of Nice and President of the Metropolis.
More specifically, Christian Estrosi recalled and claimed his record on social matters with all measures to boost purchasing power; security—facial recognition being his new boundary; ecology with the green city, tram lines 2 and 3, and “soft” mobility; tourism with record passenger numbers at the airport; and… yes, industry with the OIN of the Var Plain and the establishment of high-tech innovative activities.
There was inevitably a passage on the Great Debate that Christian Estrosi wholeheartedly encourages: “As mayor, I and all my colleagues conduct the Great Debate every day since we are listening to the population. However, it is good that people express themselves, and I have installed ten boxes in Nice to collect grievances.”
Of course, he has his convictions and expresses them candidly: “I advocate for a referendum that could address institutional reforms affecting the territorial patchwork, the introduction of a proportional element—or not—in the voting system, the establishment of quotas for migration policy but also economic and social reforms such as a re-evaluation of taxation, and indexing pensions to the cost of living.”
The future of the city? “We must combine individual intelligence to covet it within a collective intelligence for the general interest.”
This last expression is noteworthy: it will be “the horizon line” often heard in the weeks and months to come.
The finale was a powerful “crescendo” à la Pavarotti: “To those who want to divide us, tell them we are united, that the only thing that matters is for Nice to move forward, to go further!”
A thunderous round of applause from an captivated audience and… bravo to the performer!
