First, the presentation of candidates for the legislative election on June 10 and 17, during which the goal was clearly stated: to create an opening in the monopoly of parliamentary representation held by the right (UMP/NC) in the most “right-wing” department of France (according to the results of the first and second rounds of the presidential election).
Then, the inauguration of the campaign office for the “ticket” Allemand-Librati was an opportunity to reaffirm that “Nice must not stand aside from this new momentum. For the first time since 1981, it is possible to have left-wing deputies representing our city at the National Assembly within the presidential majority,” said the departmental socialist leader and candidate himself in the 1st district, where he will face the incumbent Eric Ciotti and former Nice mayor Jacques Peyrat.
The victory is certainly sweet but it may not last without a “parliamentary majority” that can contribute strength to the presidential platform.
And it would not be a Copé government that, in the event of the right’s success, could follow up on François Hollande’s policies because, in that case, we would head towards an institutional deadlock with easily imaginable consequences.
So, “giving the new President of the Republic the means to govern” is not just a slogan of this election campaign but a goal without which all political balances will be put back into play— the candidates of the presidential majority tell us in one voice.
Of course, the task of the socialists and their allies is not the easiest: The department, it is known, traditionally leans to the right and the question that could be asked is the following: Is it right-wing or more extreme?
Let’s not forget that Nice is the only one of the 10 most important cities to have given a majority of votes to Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Alpes-Maritimes department ranks first in this unofficial ranking.
So, nothing to see here?
The Hollande-supporters in Nice think differently and the local leader Patrick Allemand bluntly states: “I believe the duo Ciotti-Estrosi (mentioned several times in this reverse alphabetical order… Is there a forecast for a hierarchical change in this expression?) has had their day. What do they want to do? Create a sanctuary for Sarkozie? A (future?) Prefect who is less under the Mayor’s orders could hinder his actions…”
He continues: “We must have representatives in the National Assembly to ensure a dynamic partnership between national policies and the representation of our territory. For this, we need to rally the progressive forces given that some nods and compromises between UMP and FN are more visible in our department than elsewhere.”
So much for the form. As for the content, the traditional stronghold of the right (with or without the support of the “blue Marine” electorate) is still the most likely outcome: 9 outgoing deputies (namely all of them) wear the blue and red jersey of the former presidential majority (in fact, the party, despite its name, did not have much “popular” being effectively an annex of the Presidency of the Republic).
Therefore, for the “new” presidential majority, the road is long and, first and foremost, it will already be necessary to qualify for the second round…
