After the national congress in Poitiers, which confirmed the election of Jean-Christophe Cambadélis as the national secretary of the party, it is now the turn of the local branches to elect their leader.
Tonight, registered voters in the Alpes-Maritimes will have the opportunity to choose between three candidates: the outgoing secretary Xavier Garcia (signatory of motion A, which is the majority party motion and aligns with Patrick Allemand, the current Vice-President of the Regional Council, president of the socialist and green group in the Nice Municipal and Metropolitan Council, and long-time head of the 06 Federation), Yann Librati (motion C and former municipal councilor in Nice), and Tristan Ghertman (motion D, municipal councilor in Cagnes-sur-Mer).
The forecast is in favor of a strong confirmation for Xavier Garcia.
The stake in this election is not so much about the political direction of the socialists in the Alpes-Maritimes (who are otherwise excluded from the leadership of local authorities, which are strongly controlled by the right, except for some exceptions) but rather the ability of the new leadership to regain some momentum after years of marginalization that have damaged the party’s image in the eyes of a bewildered electorate.
The right-wing and populist management style of Christian Estrosi, Eric Ciotti, and their followers and imitators has objectively undermined what should have been the socialist opposition, which, on the contrary, has crumbled due to a lack of issues and mobilization capacity.
The more than likely hypothesis of a victory for one of the two right-wing factions in the next regional election in December will further marginalize the left in general and the socialists in particular.
In anticipation of this, let’s return to the evening’s stake: beyond the result, it will be interesting to check the participation rate to understand whether the party’s base is reactive and able to show up or, as some observers say, it has truly lost its way.
Another key point will be the generational shift from the Allemand-Cuturello duo, who managed the party for many years, to the one composed of Xavier Garcia and Yann Librati, who are opposed in supporting motions but allied in the vision of the party.
In fact, in the manifestos of the three candidates (including the third candidate in the running, Tristan Ghertman), there are no clear elements of differentiation, nor is there a focus on confronting empty and uninteresting formulas for members and activists.
The situation is sufficiently compromised and grave enough to push forward and attempt to make the socialists’ voice heard in the political arena rather than in internal factions.
This intent is reflected in the words of Yann Librati, a supposed minority opponent: “we mainly share common aspirations across all motions: the renewal of leadership, a party that asserts itself more against the right and the far right, and the desire to make the left successful in power.”
These words find a receptive ear in Xavier Garcia: “with a rising FN, we will need to collectively work hard to avoid experiencing the defeats of the scale of recent municipal and departmental elections.”
Because if we look without indulgence at a sufficiently alarming situation, the key word is “renewal.” A renewal that must necessarily go through a project strategy for the Alpes-Maritimes, a territorial strategy, a reorganization, and a renewal of the leadership and elected officials.
