Nice Premium: Nicolas Sarkozy has been elected President of the Republic. What is your reaction to this election result?
Jacques Peyrat: Confirming the strong popular movement from the first round of the presidential election, millions of French people have, through record-breaking participation and despite some calls for abstention, elected Nicolas Sarkozy to the Presidency of the Republic, thus showing their confidence in a candidate who truly embodies the stature of a statesman and who has managed to restore the French people’s faith in politics.
It is a chance for France, and I am particularly happy for our country. For me personally, it is a tremendous joy.
As the mayor of Nice, I am proud that our city made a substantial contribution to this very large national success.
Rudy Salles: I am very satisfied with this result. Our new President is a young man eager to make changes. His dynamism and willingness to act are promising. He has expressed his desire to open his majority to the center and even to personalities from the left. This gathering is necessary.
Jรฉrรดme Riviรจre: Two elements are particularly striking in this election.
First, with the remarkable participation in both rounds of the presidential election, it is democracy that has won. Everyone was lamenting the lack of mobilization on election occasions, the bad spell is broken, France has rediscovered the path to the debate of ideas.
Secondly, and this is also new, the debate was very clear, everyone campaigned on their ideas, without ambiguity. We now clearly know the policy that has been chosen for the country!
NP: 53% of the votes for the UMP candidate against 47% for the representative of the PS. How would you analyze this gap?
JP: It is clear that the choice of the sovereign people leaves no ambiguity. Thanks to his understanding of the real problems of France, his straightforward talk, his knowledge of the issues, his will, his competence, and his charisma, Nicolas Sarkozy has managed to rally a broad majority of French people from all walks of life who believe in the change embodied by the new President of the Republic.
RS: The French wanted to make a clear choice and did not want the “adventure” that was offered by Madame Royal.
From now on, Nicolas Sarkozy has a strong legitimacy to govern the country.
JR: The French have clearly expressed their choice to see the right’s campaign promises implemented with courage and determination.
They know that the left, with its old recipes, had no solution to the country’s problems: debt, safeguarding the pension system, increased fight against illegal immigration, enhancement of purchasing power.
NP: More than 65% (PACA: 62% and 06: 68%) of Nice voters voted for Nicolas Sarkozy. Your impressions on this rout in Azur for some and resounding victory for others?
JP: This score, one of the highest in France, only confirms that our department is solidly anchored on the right. It’s no surprise, but some here in Nice seemed to claim otherwise lately. This decisive result comes from an exceptional mobilization of the entire Republican right of the Alpes-Maritimes (elected officials, activists, supporters) who have fully supported Nicolas Sarkozy’s project. This result is the fruit of all this work!
RS: Our region is more to the right than the average of French regions. So, this amplification is quite normal. I remind you that previously, Jacques Chirac always had his best scores in France in the Alpes-Maritimes.
JR: I am happy that many themes that I defended during this campaign have been taken up by Nicolas Sarkozy:
1) Fight for purchasing power by combating the expensive Euro
2) Maintenance of the separation of church and state by preserving the law of 1905
3) Tougher penalties for repeat offenders
4) No voting rights for foreigners
It seems to me that these commitments by Nicolas Sarkozy have allowed a very broad gathering of the entire right around his candidacy. Our region more than others carries these values, this pride of being French.
