Last meeting of Christophe Castaner with socialist activists and the public of Nice before the first round of the Regional elections, scheduled for next Sunday.
Accompanied by Michel Vauzelle, outgoing president and “builder” of the PACA Region (as defined by his 1st Vice-President, Patrick Allemand), the socialist candidate showed a unique fighting spirit: in defiance of the polls that suggest he is out of the running, he called on his voters for a “republican” resurgence to combat the “nauseating” ideas of Marion Maréchal Le Pen, which have been adopted and normalized by Christian Estrosi.
For him, this is merely confirmation of the fusion of values between “the extreme right and the extreme right-wing,” one of his favorite slogans.
The event also provided Michel Vauzelle an opportunity to bid farewell as regional president (he will remain active in politics as a deputy), with a passionate speech centered around republican values. He then symbolically passed the leadership torch to a “new generation,” earning him a standing ovation from the several hundred attendees.
The departmental team that will be presented in the elections also includes representatives from the PRG (Patrick Mottard), the MRC (Ladislas Polski), the ecologists of UDE (Nathalie Audin), and civil society.
In their interventions, all expressed their conviction that the fight is far from over and that, in any case, it must continue until the end.
Therefore, no withdrawal after the first round within a “republican front,” which was otherwise pre-emptively rejected by the President of LR, whose goal is to siphon off left-wing votes in the second round without any quid pro quo.
Christophe Castaner brought energy to his speech, notably accusing Marion Maréchal Le Pen of having a “segregative vision” of society: the most recent example being the controversy over the abolition of subsidies to Family Planning associations, accused of “leftism,” which is not at all to the taste of the Frontists.
As for Christian Estrosi, he has not escaped the promising nickname “Mr. More,” as he is overly generous in promises that find little follow-up and even less realization.
“Casta”, allowed by the electoral campaign for some grievances against protocol, sees himself as a “determined and responsible” regional president – he willingly assumes ownership of this expression – “to build a strong and proud region.”
While recent events have placed immigration and terrorism at the center of political debate, allowing the two right-wing parties “to surf on fear,” for the socialist candidate, it is important to counter this “indecency” with the “momentum of renewal.”
The first indication of the effectiveness of this approach will come next Sunday from the ballot boxes and will be crucial for positioning in the second round when all the left must unite to attempt to outpace its competitors in the final sprint…
An arduous undertaking but as Michel Vauzelle aptly said, referencing his personal journey: “if there was a three after two, why can’t there be a four after three?”
If only it were as easy as they say…
