The declaration by the MoDem 06 leadership group to rally behind the independent candidate (formerly UMP) Olivier Bettati, who will lead a cross-party list in the Nice municipal election, has caused a small shockwave in the centrist camp.
It’s easy to imagine the dismay of Rudy Salles, the leader of the local UDI, who already saw himself at the head of a larger electorate and at least one more loyal to the commitments that indicated this group’s positioning in… opposition.
Of course, he and many others did not foresee a free reading and a literal interpretation by the Nice MoDem members! Opposition, yes, but to the outgoing mayor, of whom Rudy Salles is a staunch ally.
Hence this ambiguously toned statement that leaves the door open for all interpretations and possible outcomes: “The national Democratic Movement has taken note of the statements made by its local leaders concerning support for Olivier Bettati’s candidacy in Nice.
For cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants, the Democratic Movement states that support and endorsements are at the national level and that no endorsement or support has been granted for Nice.”
However, the Nice MoDem members apparently have no intention of backing down from their decision. Hence this courteous but also firm response:
“We acknowledge that the national instances of the MoDem, due to somewhat distant national and European political stakes from the realities of Nice residents, postpone indefinitely the endorsement given to Olivier BETTATI.
The leaders and activists of the Democratic Movement in NICE, strong in their convictions and sure that the final choice of the Parisian bodies cannot go against the choice of the Nice people, continue to support Olivier BETTATI in their common struggle for a rehabilitation of the principles that should govern all public action.”
Could this be the beginning of an internal crisis concerning the agreements between the two political formations?
For now, and while waiting for the conclusion, Rudy Salles will owe some answers to Christian Estrosi regarding the reliability of the centrist Azur members.
