Fresh from his victory in the Nice municipal election, the former Secretary of State for Overseas Territories, Christian Estrosi, created a surprise by running for the position of President of the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes (CG 06), and, of course, winning this election which once again makes him the strong man of the department, albeit temporarily, as the law prohibits him from holding multiple executive roles simultaneously.
Jean-Christophe Picard, who initiated the legal challenge against Christian Estrosi during the first round of the Nice municipal election, answered questions from Nice Premium about this new technico-political feat that demonstrates, if proof were needed, that in Nice things are never done as they are elsewhere.
Nice Premium: Jean-Christophe Picard, your legal challenge allows Christian Estrosi to keep his position as President of the General Council. What do you think about that?
Jean-Christophe Picard: And not only that! I bet he will also become a deputy again… All these roles should, moreover, be added to that of president of the Canca! Not bad for someone who claimed to want to focus exclusively on Nice… I have already had occasion to call Christian Estrosi “hyperaccumulator”; I was not mistaken.
As for my challenge, it temporarily suspends the effects of the law on the non-accumulation of mandates… but does not at all force elected officials to accumulate roles! These officials can choose to be reasonable.
I would like to remind you that the candidates on the “Nice Rainbow” list (MoDem, PRG, and MEI), led by Hervé Caël, had committed themselves not to hold more than one mandate. We defended another way of doing politics.
NP: Don’t you think that this legal challenge ultimately backfired?
JCP: No, the goal of this challenge is to nullify the electoral operations of the first round. If some take advantage of it to accumulate mandates and allowances for six more months, it’s regrettable. But on the other hand, I think that the electoral code is made to be respected…
NP: What is this legal challenge about and do you believe it could be upheld by the Administrative Court?
JCP: My first complaint concerns the mention of the “Parti Radical de Gauche” next to a running mate of Christian Estrosi, on the ballot paper of the “Nice Together” list. It is a misleading indication. This misappropriation of endorsement likely to cause confusion among voters was prejudicial to the “Nice Rainbow” list, of which PRG was a component.
My second complaint is about a breach of equality between candidates. It is clear that Christian Estrosi benefited from disproportionate and abnormal resources, like the private jet that dropped him off in Nice…
