After the municipal councils, which, following the election results from March 23 to 30, formally elected their mayor and deputies, it is now the turn of intermunicipal cooperation to get up to date.
This morning, at the Mediterranean University Center, the metropolitan council is meeting for the first time in this new term to elect its president and vice-presidents. As for the number one position, there will be no surprise, as Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice, will be supported by a clear majority and is likely the sole candidate. The uncertainty remains for the lesser positions.
During the 2012-2014 period, there were 15 vice-presidents with Louis Négre, senator-mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, as First Vice-President. Largely elected in the first round of the municipal elections, this local political figure is expected to be reinstated and will sit to the right of Christian Estrosi.
It is more challenging to decipher the rest of the team’s composition and whether the number and delegations will remain the same: Among some significant losers (Henri Revel in Saint Laurent being the most known) and the newly arrived legitimized by success, not to mention young and less young aspirants with varying degrees of ambition, the competition could hold some surprises.
Similarly, it will be interesting to hear the opposition’s statements, which will address two major issues that animated Nice’s electoral campaign: The underground tram route and the state of the Metropolis’s finances, suspected to be dangerously declining to around a billion euros.
In short, we must get used to considering this assembly as the nerve center of local politics, especially since the government has made it the cornerstone of the local authorities’ reorganization law.
Finally, for Christian Estrosi, this election will constitute the final piece of the “triplet”: Deputy of a constituency that includes a large part of the metropolitan territory, Mayor of the departmental capital, and President of the metropolis that includes 49 municipalities… He holds all the power.
Moreover, as the man is not one to stay on the sidelines with his hands behind his back, but on the contrary, likes to lead his team’s game with a loud voice and a firm hand. There is no doubt that he will know how to use them.
Furthermore, between democracy and authoritarianism, a third way could represent the thread of Christian Estrosi’s political doctrine: Agree with everyone so that everyone agrees with him who is the “boss.”
We dare to call it: Democratorship!
