The second round of municipal elections in Nice will take place without direct confrontation between Eric Ciotti, Christian Estrosi and Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux. An announcement that recalls a historical precedent…
The second round of municipal elections in Nice will be held without public debate between the main candidates. Several meetings had nevertheless been announced. The editorial teams of France Inter, Ici Azur, Nice-Matin and France 3 had planned to organize these exchanges Wednesday morning during the inter-round period.
Christian Estrosi’s campaign team claims that these debates had been accepted. The situation changed with the announcement of Eric Ciotti’s national refusal to participate. This decision ends any direct confrontation in this decisive phase.
In a statement, the team of the incumbent mayor denounces this withdrawal in a campaign already marked by tensions in the first round.
Christian Estrosi spoke about this situation. The incumbent mayor declared: “we were invited to the 2nd round just as we were and as they were held in the first round at debates invited by both Ici Azur, France Inter and Nice-Matin and our regional channel France 3. I just learned that the main candidate withdrew, the one who is Marine Le Pen’s lieutenant (Eric Ciotti). I can understand this choice. Simply after having demonstrated in the first round debates that he was wrecking, preventing people from speaking, having no track record, no project, that he backs down in this 2nd round. But I call on him to pull himself together because the people of Nice need to clearly understand where we want to lead them, project by project, in each area. I invite him, Marine Le Pen’s lieutenant, to pull himself together to debate in this 2nd round.”
In the same statement, Christian Estrosi condemns the situation referring to “a final evasion” and insists on the necessity of confronting visions for the city.
On Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux’s side, no reaction but a regret. The candidate believes that a debate would have allowed for a confrontation of projects. This position aligns with an expectation often expressed in the second rounds of local elections.
In the absence of confrontation, voters will have to make do with other formats. France 3 plans to broadcast campaign clips tomorrow evening. These sequences will replace the debates originally scheduled.
A historical precedent
This situation recalls a national precedent. During the 2002 presidential election, Jacques Chirac had refused to debate with Jean-Marie Le Pen. The outgoing president had justified this choice by the desire not to “normalize” the ideas of the National Front. The parallel is evoked in the Nice context, even if the situations remain different.
The refusal to debate is not isolated to Nice. A comparable situation appears in Lyon. Jean-Michel Aulas, candidate of the right and center union, confirmed his refusal to participate in an inter-round debate with outgoing Green mayor Grégory Doucet. This decision is based on a political disagreement linked to electoral alliances.
These examples show that the debate question remains a strategic issue. Each candidate evaluates the interest of a public confrontation based on the political context.
Contacted, Eric Ciotti’s team has not responded to requests from the Nice Premium editorial team for the moment. A silence that maintains uncertainty about the precise motivations for this refusal by the candidate who arrived well ahead in the 1st round of the 2026 Nice municipal elections.
The end of the campaign will therefore take place without debate. The candidates continue campaigning and speaking through Friday evening to convince voters each on their own side. The people of Nice will have to form an opinion without direct confrontation between projects. Not very democratic, is it?
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