The Vice-President of the Paca Region and First Federal Secretary of the Socialist Party, Patrick Allemand, has finally chosen his side ahead of the upcoming presidential election, and it will be Ségolène Royal who will have the support of one of the candidates for the socialist nomination for the future elections to the Mayor of Nice.
After his friend Marc Concas, a general councilor, and his wife Frédérique Grégoire, a municipal PS councilor who paved the way for Royal in the region, Patrick Allemand waited to not announce his choice too early to maintain calm and neutrality within the local PS.
Let’s meet the new standard-bearer for candidate Royal, who explains the reasons for his choice as well as his opinion on Lionel Jospin and the upcoming presidential elections.
Nice Première: Patrick Allemand, have you chosen your candidate for the upcoming Presidential election?
Patrick Allemand: Yes, I have announced my support for Ségolène Royal. The timing was not a coincidence. I believed it was important not to announce my choice too early to maintain as long as possible the calm and neutrality of the debates in the federation, of which I am—and will continue to be—the guarantor as the 1st federal secretary of the PS. I chose this specific moment because she was experiencing a “small downturn,” and it is in those moments that one must take responsibility.
Why does Ségolène Royal make a good candidate?
PA: She aligns with social changes and embodies a different way of envisioning politics, more concrete. This brings her closer to both the middle classes and the working classes, which we greatly lacked in 2002. Additionally, she possesses something that is difficult to explain, called charisma, and it’s a very important factor in a presidential election, which has always been a meeting between an individual and the nation.
Why did you place her above other possible candidates?
PA: For all the reasons I just mentioned and because, in my opinion, she is the best equipped to defeat Sarkozy. Defeating Sarkozy is imperative. He is preparing an unprecedented liberal shift. And France does not need a Reagan or a Thatcher, especially in the current context.
What do you think of the attacks against her, from both the right and sometimes the left?
PA: It does not reflect well on those making them. I am even convinced that it is counterproductive for them. We have learned from the past how detrimental it is to score own goals. That is why, at the federal level, I will be very vigilant about the dignity of the debates and the equal treatment of all candidates and their supporters locally. What matters is that on the night of the nomination, we are already able to rally behind the candidate who has been chosen.
Do you think France is ready to elect and be governed by a woman?
PA: Honestly, yes. Only the political class and the media still question this matter, which I think is outdated. In 1997, when the PS designated 30% of women candidates for legislative elections, commentators hailed the gesture while considering it would be a handicap electorally. It was quite the contrary.
What will be the local and regional initiatives to support this candidacy?
PA: A support committee (Desires for the Future 06: www.cigales.canalblog.com) was established in the spring. It is gaining new members almost daily and is very active. Its initial effort is to gather support from PS elected officials and convince militants for the internal vote. Then, if Ségolène is designated as the PS candidate, the entire party will have to mobilize with the same enthusiasm we saw in 2004 for the regional elections, which, to be frank, was missing in 2002.
Your opinion on the return of Lionel Jospin, and do you think he will be a candidate?
PA: Lionel Jospin is a statesman with unquestionable stature to be president of the Republic. After five years of the UMP regime, all he accomplished at the helm of his government from 1997 to 2002 is being viewed very favorably. But I have the impression that this country is seeking a new lease on life, and Lionel, as a former Prime Minister and at 70, cannot embody this novelty. His return would have made sense only if none of the new generation candidates had emerged. But Ségolène Royal clearly appears to be in a winning position.
Finally, what do you think the outcome will be on the night of the second round of the Presidential election?
PA: The history of presidential elections shows that predicting eight months before the election is a very perilous exercise. But I am optimistic about the chances for the left because the lessons of 2002 have been learned both by the socialist party and its voters, and because there is a general weariness with the UMP system. As for the break proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy, it is nothing but an echo of the American ultra-liberal model in a country that has always rejected it.
