Just a few days before the legislative elections, battles between the various candidates are raging. This time, it is the two far-right candidates with intertwined destinies who are at odds.
A month ago, the National Rally announced the withdrawal of Philippe Vardon in favor of Benoît Kandel, the former deputy mayor of Nice. A decision that was, of course, poorly received by the head of the National Rally in Nice:
“I am very confused by this decision, of which I was not officially informed… I think that Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella have lost my phone number.”
In response, the municipal and regional councilor announced that he would still be a candidate in the third constituency, without a political label but with the support of Reconquête!
“I am running with the support of Reconquête!, supporting an approach, a logic, a strategy.”
After several years of long-distance confrontations, Philippe Vardon and Benoît Kandel are now entering the legislative war. It was Vardon who decided to strike first through a video published on Twitter.
In this video, the elected official from Nice presents “Benoît Kandel’s complicity with Islamism” by recounting an event that took place two years ago in the Côte d’Azur capital. The video, viewed by several million people, shows a call to prayer at the mosque in the Roquebillière neighborhood. According to Vardon, it was Benoît Kandel, “the candidate that Marine Le Pen and the National Rally’s leadership decided to endorse”, who participated in this project and thus “contributed to the spread of Islamism in Nice.”
Benoît Kandel’s response to these accusations came this morning. The former vice-president of the metropolis is filing a lawsuit against Philippe Vardon for “a totally defamatory leaflet.” The candidate expressed himself on Twitter following the announcement of his lawsuit filing.
