The campaign team of Nicolas Sarkozy was already in place, but now it has been officially announced: Eric Ciotti, the president of the Alpes-Maritimes departmental council, is at the heart of the arrangement.
The candidate himself states, “I am proud that my deputy Eric Ciotti is the spokesperson for my campaign (along with Cathérine Vautrin).”
Ciotti’s response echoes the same sentiment: “Thank you to @NicolasSarkozy for the trust he places in me by appointing me as his campaign spokesperson.”
This appointment confirms that Eric Ciotti will play a crucial role in the former president’s team and positions himself at the forefront in the event of a double victory in the Republican primary and the 2017 presidential election.
His influence became apparent upon reading Nicolas Sarkozy’s program (“Everything for France”), where the security section sporadically reflects his ideas and proposals. Indeed, it is likely that he was the author.
The Sarkozy team’s organizational chart also includes, although in a less central position, Christian Estrosi, delegated to the economy. It comes as a surprise to those who recognize the political experience of the PACA regional president but were unaware of his specific inclination and competence in this discipline.
For him, this presents a challenging dilemma: proclaiming himself a social Gaullist, he will have to defend the ultra-liberal program announced by the candidate he has joined, a rather arduous obstacle course.
