Philippe Vardon, president of Nissa Rebela, announced that the identitarian movement will be present in the electoral competition “in all possible configurations.”
If we know that his preference was for a gathering of all opposition right-wing parties against Christian Estrosi, Philippe Vardon had to acknowledge that his name remained blacklisted on the list led by Marie-Christine Arnautu. And the episode of his real-fake registration with the RBM this fall had already suggested it.
So, less than three months before the election, he is not less critical of the Front Marine candidate than of Christian Estrosi and faces a tough choice: Go it alone or seek an alliance, even if it’s a last-minute one?
“My position is clear – he said during the New Year’s greetings to Nissa Rebela militants – I don’t want to stray from my convictions: Fighting against insecurity, asserting the identity of Nice, and achieving fairer taxation.”
He continues, quite bitterly: “I advocated for a right-wing gathering, an opening to all sensibilities with a single objective: to depose the Estrosi system. The only opening that Mrs. Arnautu and Mr. Nofri (editor’s note: campaign director) have shown capable of makes is towards the UMP! To put it another way, by excluding the ‘historic’ FN members, the identitarians, and the Peyratists, to open the list to those who were still Estrosi supporters the day before yesterday and who might become so again the day after tomorrow.”
Time is ticking, and the days are numbered to get the troops in battle formation, hence the call to all who will listen “not to give up and close their eyes”: will he find attentive ears among those disenchanted with “the one who does not know the people of Nice and whom the people of Nice do not know”?
Beyond these hopes, logic would suggest that an association with Jacques Peyrat’s list to form a ticket would be the most probable outcome. The two men respect each other, the age and political experience gap would establish a natural hierarchy, their views are not that different, and an electoral alliance had already been formed during the last cantonal and legislative elections.
Moreover, a small delegation from the Entente Républicaine was present at this meeting, and the courtesy visit was certainly not just to share the king cake!
