Patrick Allemand has been contemplating it for a long time. He wants to be the mayor of Nice. In 2000, he withdrew his candidacy at the last moment. This time, he is determined to see it through to the end. It wasn’t news to anyone anymore, but Patrick Allemand confirmed his ambition last Friday. He chose to read his “Declaration of Candidacy” in a cafรฉ in the heart of Old Nice, a district that for him is “the soul of the city.” It’s also the district he just lost in the legislative elections. “One election always prepares for another. I had to ensure that I did not perform too poorly so that our ambitions remain credible.” And he did. An honorable score, while being the only surviving PS member in Alpes-Maritimes in the second round.
Now, he is thinking about 2008. “When you are a candidate, it is not against someone, but for a project. To win. There are no bad opponents, I do not underestimate Jacques Peyrat. He is actually in a better position than in 2001, having made fewer mistakes during this term,” stated Patrick Allemand.
“Nice will face a choice and its destiny.”
The Nice socialist activists must select their challenger on September 24. Contradictory debates are reserved for them. Unsurprisingly, they will oppose Patrick Allemand to the municipal councilor and general councilor, Patrick Mottard. However, the submission of candidacies remains open. Also, debates and proposals will only be made public in the fall, after the internal election.
As a general councilor of the opposition and first vice-president of the PACA region, Patrick Allemand is considering giving up one of his mandates if he wins the mayoral race. The leader of the left in the Azurรฉenne region justifies his candidacy: “I think that my city deserves so much better than the policy conducted by the current UMP municipal team.” He wants to unite the socialists around a project with housing as one of the priorities. Unite? Largely, yes, and beyond political formations, even if “it is too early to talk about an alliance with the MoDem.” Patrick Allemand knows that in Alpes-Maritimes, “the left only wins if it is united.”
