As in knockout competitions, the various teams are gearing up, and the warm-ups have given way to clashes between the far-right factions, while in the encounter of the leftist groups in Nice, the significant lead taken by Captain Allemand has not forced Coach Mottard to rally to his crest. The competition promises to be spectacular, and there is no doubt that the scores of each will be dissected, analyzed, and examined in preparation for the final showdown on March 16. Whether it’s a three-way final or a surprise quadrangular, the people of Nice will be the sole judges, and the latest polls will have already been well digested by next Sunday morning.
We are thus entering the final week, the last days which will be crucial though not necessarily decisive. The situation appears to have been set with three candidates announced for the second round (Estrosi, Allemand, Peyrat) and possibly Patrick Mottard, who is just a few points away from the precious pass that opens the doors to the second round. Certainly, duels are possible between the Secretary of State for Overseas Territories and one of his two followers, but this would be an equally improbable surprise as the qualification of the MoDem lists or the Alternatives.
If there could be 2 to 3 winners for the second week, there might well be a major loser, namely the National Front and Lydia Schenardi, who might end up with one of the worst scores for Jean-Marie Le Pen’s party in a municipal election in Nice, with many voters torn between the incumbent mayor and the identity groups with whom they were supposed to form a common list.
A final week that promises to be busy for all the candidates and their running mates, who will canvass the large playing field of the Nice municipal election, avoiding nasty tackles and the blow of exhaustion!
