It is in Marseille, the regional capital, that Christian Estrosi officially launched his electoral campaign and presented his program, “popular and populist.” If his campaign slogan is “things are going to change,” the citizens of the region will be more than well served. More than a change, it’s a revolution that awaits them if the mayor of Nice is elected.
Yesterday’s event, in the late afternoon at Parc Chanot, was a large-scale inaugural meeting meant to serve as a springboard to mobilize the right-wing troops, activists, and prominent regional officials, and as a platform for some 200 proposals, about twenty of which are presented as emblematic.
In fact, everything was scrutinized: security (with a range of measures), transport (ticket price at 1 euro), economy and industrial development (goal: establishment of 500 new companies, agriculture and livestock (200 direct sales points managed by producers), employment (zero unfilled jobs), environment, and culture.
Without detailing the proposals, it can already be said that nothing will be the same as before, starting with the administrative functioning which plans for a drastic slimming down of staff (no replacements for retirements) and a reset of relations with associations, meaning all subsidies will be reconsidered.
Furthermore, Christian Estrosi expresses his desire “to demand from the government an eco-tax on trucks for companies not located in our region and circulating on our territory.”
Nothing has been overlooked. A real government program, which foreshadows robust relations with the executive.
Will we then have a belligerent Region?
Given Christian Estrosi’s known admiration for the political ideas and governance methods of Vladimir Putin, should we imagine that the PACA Region, under his presidency, will model itself on the autonomy of certain regions controlled by the Kremlin’s master’s followers?
