Eric Ciotti chaired his first meeting of the Republican Departmental Committee last night at the Palais de la Méditerranée.
On the agenda, gathering, “reconquest,” and the course to follow.
Fifteen days after his electoral victory, alongside Charles-Anges Ginésy, Jean Leonetti, and all the constituency delegates, Eric Ciotti, the new President of the LR federation of the Alpes-Maritimes, invited his supporters last night — over 600 spectators — to a public meeting. On the agenda, reconquest of the electorate, gathering, and the course to follow in France… and in the Alpes-Maritimes.
If the entrance was solemn, “I want to carry today the ideal of the right, values, and militant commitment. Being a militant in the Republicans means being a custodian of a certain idea of the Republic. It means thinking there is something greater than ourselves that we must defend,” the rest of the menu revolved around two well-known themes: tax reduction and increased security, with the corollary being the fight against immigration.
While applause was guaranteed by an audience composed of seniors, it was somewhat beneath the prominently displayed slogan “proud of our values”.
Concerning the economy, and Eric Ciotti emphasized it last night: “The France we want will massively reduce taxes while this government is exploding them: +4.5 billion euros in 2018. Never have the French suffered such a loss of purchasing power in 6 years.”
Concerning security “the France we want is a France where everyone is protected, where authority is restored. Youth violence is exploding, gang laws and thugs are corrupting neighborhoods, some of which evade the laws of the Republic. We want a France where identity is respected and where the laws of the Republic will always be superior to religious laws.”
Regarding immigration “a France where immigration decreases massively, while Emmanuel Macron welcomed nearly 262,000 legal foreigners in 2017. A record.”
For Eric Ciotti, the “reconquest” must begin now, from the territories and behind their President, Laurent Wauquiez, “who has gathered our political family and will not deviate from his course.”
The declared objective is the 2022 presidential elections, an event aspiring to be revenge after Nicolas Sarkozy’s defeat in 2012 and François Fillon’s debacle last year.
Until then, there will be no shortage of opportunities to verify whether the “course” will be appreciated by the voters: European elections in 2019, municipal elections in 2020, regional and cantonal elections in 2021.
For him, it will most likely be an attempt to “conquer” the mayoralty of Nice, an appealing battle ahead.
There is no doubt that Eric Ciotti, the “boss” is the “boss,” will take the opportunity to impose his mark in the allocation of candidacies and the composition of lists. The doubt remains about his ability to gather the entire party behind him: last night, the “estrosist” elected officials from Nice and the metropolis did not make the trip…
However, they will certainly be there in a few days during Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to Nice, invited by Christian Estrosi.
