Aware that victory will have to be fought for up to the last voter, the duo is also playing a match within the party. Objective: to demonstrate that the choice made in their names is the right one. Achieving a significant score in the department will allow the local leadership of the UMP – and more specifically the Minister and Mayor, Christian Estrosi – to reinforce the presidential party in its choices. A task that proves difficult according to predictions – forecasting a breakthrough in the first round followed by a setback in the second – on March 14 and 21, 2010.
Gaston Franco, a seasoned representative
Gaston Franco is accustomed to battles, confident in his own worth and his ability to explain that his program is the best option for the voter.
A pragmatic and concrete field representative, he sees in the victory of his candidate, Thierry Mariani from Vaucluse, an ideal platform to promote his role as a European deputy and the assurance of being able to make the most of community policy. He does acknowledge, however, the presence of the National Front, which is “through triangulation one of the major reasons for the success of the Left.”
He criticizes without hesitation the record of Michel Vauzelle (transport, employment, financing, etc.) and, along with his running mate Dominique Estrosi Sassone, believes that cohesion between the Region and the local bodies managed by the UMP (Marseille, Avignon, Aix, Toulon, Nice, and the Departmental Councils) could be a tremendous lever if the UMP is elected. According to them, the economy and employment in PACA would thus be improved, for example by applying the national recovery plan in the PACA region. Added to this is the aid of a Minister responsible for Industry, Christian Estrosi.
Dominique Estrosi-Sassone, a woman of action
Dominique Estrosi-Sassone deploys an intellectual approach rich in values accompanied by a firm will to do and especially to do well – in a city where “the majority of locals are not wealthy” –.
She is seen as having knowledge of local and regional issues – having spent 6 years as a regional councilor. Eloquent and composed, she strives to back her ideas with convincing content. Also aware of the difficulty of the task and ready to play the match until the last voter, she has made her own the maxim: do what you must, obtain what you can. A particularly delicate maxim with the presence of the National Front. Intelligent and resourceful, she thinks that the National Front voters will not be swayed and will decide for themselves to give their vote to the UMP from the first round.
This advocate of social policy at the local level likes to emphasize the contradictions of a Left more disunited than united by the multiplication of its parties. She asserts that the Left will have a difficult time establishing a common program and list in just two days. That is indeed the time the left-wing parties will have to agree on their differences – such as ITER – and prepare for the second round. Like her running mate Gaston Franco, who highlighted the recurring delays of the Regional Express Trains, Dominique Estrosi-Sassone uses the example of transport to challenge her socialist competitor. According to her, the latter did not wish to implement, as in Nice, the 1€ transport fare. In any case, there is no doubt that this political couple will continue to be a man and woman of action, to pursue their convictions and political commitment.
