After Marseille, under the leadership of Renaud Muselier and Martine Vassal, it was Christian Estrosi’s turn to launch the electoral campaign for President/candidate Emmanuel Macron in Nice.
Last night at the Palais Nikaïa, between 2,000 and 3,000 people, including the three local LREM MPs, regional and local elected officials, and a number of guests from elsewhere, attended a rally hosted by ministers Olivier Veran and Roselyne Bachelot, who still enjoys great popularity, the former minister and now president of the LREM parliamentary group at the National Assembly, and, finally, former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
The Vice-President of the Regional Council, Mrs. Eynaud, represented her President Renaud Muselier, and the “voice” of the territories, and emphasized the importance of rurality in any political decision.
The scenario aligned with the format of these events: yellow on the background of the stage, personalities, activists, and VIP guests in the audience, the “populists” in the stands.
The “candidate,” held up by international commitments, spoke for a few minutes via video, and his message was clear: “The election is not a done deal, nothing is guaranteed, our competitors are here and they are active, we must persuade the undecided and convince potential abstainers.”
This theme was echoed by all the other speakers, particularly by Edouard Philippe: “Elections are won at the ballot boxes and not by volatile polls,” he said, referencing the direct experience of the many elected officials present.
Each speaker contributed to Emmanuel Macron’s candidacy by referencing their personal experience. All of them, having a previous political life before 2017, expressed the reasons for their commitment around “the unexpected one,” with the word “transcendence” being the common thread: transcendence of what? Ideological divides that hinder progress through bias, finding the best solutions to move forward with issues and make the right decisions. The stagnation of reforms we always talk about but never undertake. The “patriotism” that prevents us from seeing that in a globalized world, the ability to play an international and especially European role best serves the interests of the Nation.
Edouard Philippe spoke about the record of the five-year term which will end in two weeks, for which he is co-responsible for its first three years during his time at Matignon: without succumbing to praise (“nothing is ever perfect”), he recalled the clarity of commitment in the face of social (yellow vests) and health (pandemic) crises, the clarity in commitment, and the results in terms of reforms.
But he especially motivated his current and future engagement, both personally and for his political movement in formation, Horizons: “It is said that the exercise of power wears one out, but in 2022 I find in Emmanuel Macron the same spirit as in 2017, the same audacity, the same intense energy. These are the decisive qualities for making decisions beyond mere short-term political forecasts (Plan for France 2030).”
The final word was left to the host of the evening, Christian Estrosi, now a key figure in “macronism,” whose personal bond with Emmanuel Macron and the esteem the latter has for him is well known: “For five years, I have supported President Emmanuel Macron. Now I enthusiastically stand behind the candidate!”
So, the convinced attendees found comfort in their choice; it remains for them to play their role as ambassadors to ensure their candidate’s election is strengthened by the democratic choice of the electorate.
