The small, innocuous, and anecdotal voice at the beginning of Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, MP for Essonne, now finds a definite echo in the media and takes its place in debates on ideas and future prospects for France. He opposed the CPE, the GDf-SUEZ merger, and said no to the European Union constitutional treaty. The president of the Debout la République movement launched his presidential campaign on October 18 at the Mutualité in Paris and explained himself in front of more than 1,000 supporters: “I am a candidate because the citizens know that it is possible to revive the Republic and that it is possible to revive France. I am a candidate because I do not want to be complicit in the new electoral farce that is being prepared.” Pierre-Antoine Albertini attended this presentation of the project for France by the one known as NDA. This retiree, a former senior official at the Ministry of Social Affairs, fully supports it. He is the azurean responsible of the movement and is among the close supporters of the MP from Yerres. He will support him to the end. Why this commitment? He responds without mystery: “For me, he is the only true Gaullist. Others claim to be. They were 30 years ago, but not today. Nicolas Dupont-Aignan wrote a book with his proposals that are coherent from the first to the last page. This is not the case for other candidates. He gives me the impression of a sincere man with common sense.”
What is a Gaullist? It is someone who prioritizes the sovereignty of the people in the republic and the sovereignty of France in the concert of Nations. Nicolas Dupont-Aignan believes that European issues are at the heart of the problem, but unfortunately, people do not realize it well. For Debout la République, the outcomes of the NO in the referendum of May 29, 2005, are unacceptable, and passing the constitutional treaty through parliament would be a mistake and, according to Pierre-Antoine Alberti, “would widen the already deep gap between elected officials and voters.” NDA has developed 101 proposals.
Nothing is simple. The presidential candidate is on the hunt for signatures. There are 250 left to acquire. Pierre-Antoine Albertini is trying to obtain a few in the Alpes-Maritimes. He has listed about thirty plausible ones, mainly unaligned and various right-wing elected officials: “It is very difficult because it is not secret. They are afraid of attracting the wrath of Sarkozy or Estrosi, and the mayors of small villages fear being denied subsidies and funding.” The left might strategically benefit from supporting NDA’s candidacy to thwart Sarkozy. “As long as Nicolas Dupont-Aignan has not broken with the UMP, it will be a handicap. The left would wish it so.” Pierre Antoine Albertini’s last regrets are the under-representation of NDA’s ideas in the media: “Nicolas Dupont-Aignan manages to make a name for himself, but for us locally, it is very difficult.” Pierre Antoine Albertini embarks on a mission for long months so that his favorite politician can present his ideas and project for the most important electoral contest in the country.
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A few proposals among the 101:
– Establish a popular initiative referendum with a threshold of two million signatories.
– Restore the seven-year presidential term.
– Recognition of a blank vote.
– Make elected officials found guilty of corruption ineligible for life during their term of office.
– Restore the authority of teachers by once again allowing them to fully decide on grade repetition, and inform families of their child’s obligations in the school environment during a beginning-of-year meeting.
– Make the payment of family allowances conditional upon school attendance.
– Anonymous filing of complaints.
– Review the territorial distribution of law enforcement forces to ensure a fair and appropriate presence in each constituency.
– Reform the 1945 ordinance on juvenile delinquency to allow the effective segregation of dangerous young offenders by lowering the criminal majority to 16 years and creating five thousand places in secure educational centers.
– Create a mandatory and universal civic service of three months.
– Extend to 10 years the period required to acquire French nationality through marriage.
– Improve international monetary cooperation to limit currency wars and banish tax havens.
– Establish precise labeling of consumer goods to know the “Made in France” share of each item.
– Oblige public authorities and public institutions to make 25% of their purchases from SMEs and SMIs.
– Transform the RMI into a Minimum Activity Income, requiring each beneficiary to work one day a week for a public authority.
This is just a list of proposals. By the elections, NDA and his supporters will have the opportunity on Nice-Première or elsewhere to mention the rest of their project and program, which you can find on [www.nda2007.fr](https://www.nda2007.fr).
