In a press release, the support committee for Nicolas Dupont-Aignan in the Alpes-Maritimes has issued a citizen’s call to mayors: “Elections, a fools’ trap? This provocative phrase from May 1968 is on the verge of becoming a reality in our country. As residents of the Alpes-Maritimes, we are outraged by the stranglehold a few parties have on the presidential election. We note from the press that many candidates have not obtained their sponsorships. We find this situation scandalous because many French citizens are at risk of being deprived of a real choice in the first round. Only our mayors, who nurture our beautiful region throughout the year, can unlock this situation. Without them, we will not have the essential choice needed to give our democracy a breath of fresh air. But for that, our mayors need to exercise the power reserved to them by the law, which is to sponsor a candidate – which does not mean supporting them!”
Pierre Antoine Albertini, president of the Alpes-Maritimes Support Committee for Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, a “Gaullist” candidate for the presidential election, clarifies that this call applies to all those who have not yet obtained the 500 sponsorships. He insists that sponsoring does not equate to supporting or voting for the sponsored candidate. If Philippe de Villiers (Movement for France) has announced he acquired them by Tuesday, José Bové, Olivier Besancenot, Dominique Voynet, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Frédéric Nihous, or Jean-Marie Le Pen have until Friday 6 PM to collect them. It is certain: they will not all be able to run.
Pierre Antoine Albertini is pessimistic. He has done his best for many months but in vain. He selected a panel of officials from the 06 area likely to provide a signature for the candidacy of “his” candidate. A very difficult, if not impossible task in the department. The UMP officials, logically, did not provide their signatures to a candidate who resigned from their party. The Socialist Party issued instructions to sponsor only Ségolène Royal. Pierre Antoine Albertini primarily targeted independent or various right-wing officials. Always in vain. He explains: “I understand the UMP or PS officials, but the various right or non-party ones put pressure on themselves by anticipation. They all have something to do with the general council, without Christian Estrosi intervening; they anticipate potential consequences.”
Nicolas Sarkozy has announced, in the name of “democracy,” his intention to “fight” for Jean-Marie Le Pen and Olivier Besancenot to have the necessary number of presidential sponsorships to run. Not a word for the other contenders for the first round on April 22.
The president of the Support Committee for Nicolas Dupont-Aignan passively waits for Friday night. He hopes while worrying. On Saturday, he will be alongside the candidate from “Debout la République”, either to drink champagne and prepare the campaign or to decide on the next steps for the movement and contemplate a possible rally. As a spokesperson for all non-official candidates, Pierre Antoine Albertini laments the publicity of the sponsorships: “The basis of voting is anonymity. I do not understand why the sponsorships must be made public. General de Gaulle did not foresee this at the origin of the constitution.”
