Recently elected by the members of the Socialist Party as the lead candidate for the regional elections at the end of the year, Christophe Castaner, Deputy Mayor of Forcalquier, takes advantage of the departmental elections to travel around the territory, support his party’s candidates, and… make himself known!
It must be acknowledged that this forty-something with a manager’s demeanor in style and speech, truly gives the image of a modern socialism looking to the future as an opportunity.
Will this be enough to quell the usual pseudo-intellectual musings of the socialists, their tendency to self-harm?
The future will tell, but for now, the candidate to succeed Michel Vauzelle doesn’t seem to mind.
Nice Premium: Are you already on the campaign trail? Do you know the Alpes-Maritimes?
Christophe Castaner: My presence here is mainly to support the candidates in the departmental elections, meet members and activists, and begin to know them and make myself known. I want to tell them that I will be listening to them to build the program together for the fight that awaits us at the end of the year.
As for my knowledge of the department, it is real and not new. As Vice-President of the Region for several years, I have followed many issues of interest to the Alpes-Maritimes, whose importance I recognize and which I will not overlook in the regional strategy.
Nice Premium: Precisely… It is said that Marseille (the seat of the Region) does not always view Nice, its alleged rival, favorably
Christophe Castaner: These are considerations that don’t belong to me. I am not a man of division but of unity. I am foreign to the Marseillais cliques as well as those in Nice, in fact cleverly maintained by the current regional opposition, often without any relation to reality. I come from the Hautes-Alpes, which allows me to take a step back from these non-issues. If elected, I will engage with local officials without bias, and I hope they will do the same and not fuel controversies. I can say that there will not be hegemony from Marseille or any other, everyone will have their place in a collective momentum.
Nice Premium: The PACA Region is going to change its identity with the new competences that the local government reform law will grant…
Christophe Castaner: Regions will be responsible for economic development and training. It is a huge project that requires a strong rapprochement between public institutions, the business world, and higher education. The ultimate key is employment. I was the rapporteur of the Macron law at the National Assembly, and I fully recognize myself in this approach, this philosophy. The PACA is a magnificent region with its varied territory; one might say it is the Florida. My ambition is to make it the California, with a fabric of successful businesses supported by the expertise of our university students.
Nice Premium: You are a candidate to succeed Michel Vauzelle, but you also want to be a man of change. Do you find coherence between the past and the future?
Christophe Castaner: I accept the record of Michel Vauzelle, with whom I have been one of the closest collaborators; it is an excellent record based on the affirmation of republican values. However, I am a man of my generation, open to the future and the world. Our region can and must play a central role in the Mediterranean area and with African countries. Our young people can be the best ambassadors for this exchange.
Nice Premium: You will have strong competition from the FN like Jean-Marie Le Pen while the UMP hasn’t chosen its candidate yet.
Christophe Castaner: I would like to point out that I am a candidate because I was elected by party members, while Jean-Marie Le Pen proclaimed himself a candidate, and we know his insular discourse, which can bring nothing good to our region.
As for the UMP, its candidate will be appointed by a phone call from its President based on the party’s internal balances. After that, it doesn’t matter much to me whether it’s Mr. Estrosi, Mr. Ciotti, or someone else.
There is, however, a significant difference in terms of legitimacy between that future candidate and myself, isn’t there?
