The polls turned out to be misleading in predicting a significant (and almost decisive) gap between Thierry Mariani’s list (RN) and the outgoing president Renaud Muselier: 41 to 34%. The (non-final) results reduced the difference to nearly 2 points (35.5 to 33%), leaving the door open to any outcome during the second round next Sunday.
Renaud Muselier was pleased to have defied all the polls before calling on “everyone to take responsibility in the face of the far right.” For him, “the far right wants to divide us. It fuels our problems, our everyday difficulties. I will never let it sacrifice our region. We will stay true to our logic of unity.”
He received prompt support from his ally Christian Estrosi: “A new campaign opens, and I call for reason from those who have not chosen between Renaud Muselier and Thierry Mariani. And especially the abstainers. I urge them to vote for Renaud Muselier next Sunday. We have one week left to confirm that our region rejects the far-right choice.”
At 11:02 PM, outgoing president Charles-Ange Ginésy reacted on his Twitter feed: “These results reflect the trust of the Maralpins in a departmental team that has shown its competence and commitment to local action.”
As the horizon darkens for Thierry Mariani, he plays the abstainer card: “If you don’t vote on Sunday, you’ll give victory to Emmanuel Macron’s candidate; next Sunday, everything depends on you. Massive abstention is the major fact of this election, and it is clear that our list is the first victim of it.”
Recipient of the call from Renaud Felizia, head of the eco-socialist list who obtained just over 15% of the votes, has, at least for the moment and despite the solemn appeal of the Socialist Party secretary Faure, refused the perspective of the “anti-far-right republican front.” He believes that “left-wing citizens expect something other than the erasure of their ideas, their values.” Consequently, he announced the decision “to maintain the voice of the left and ecology in the second round of the election.”
The fourth agreed, Jean-Marc Governatori, a centrist environmentalist candidate with over 5%, is not opposed to a merger of lists in favor of Renaud Muselier.
However, the Nice resident sets a few conditions. “A greening of the program and that they consider our ten projects”, he emphasizes.
