The holidays are over… and it’s back to serious and diligent work for the Azur leaders of the political movement chaired by François Bayrou. MoDem 06 kicked off its back-to-work season on August 27, 2011, with a working meeting of the new executive board focusing on intercommunality and the legislative and presidential elections in spring 2012.
This was a day of resumption of contact and workshops for the MoDem supporters who set up a future activities schedule. All under the leadership and coordination of Departmental President Fabien Bénard, elected (unopposed) and in charge since June.
This 39-year-old educator, married with three children, is full of convictions and could adopt the motto of Saint-Jean: “Why know the way if you have faith?”
Fabien Bénard recently welcomed the visit of Marc Fesneau, MoDem Secretary General, to Nice, with whom he reviewed the national and local political situation.
Moreover, the release of Bayrou’s book, “2012, Emergency State,” analyzes the situation and sets the tone for MoDem’s pre-presidential campaign. The Democratic Movement positions François Bayrou as a quality candidate who “alerted very early on the debt that puts France and Europe in a crisis with few precedents known.”
For his supporters, the MoDem president “is free from the primaries, as well as the circumlocutions of some centrists. The urgency is known to us; we must disseminate our hope with concrete solutions, being close to our fellow citizens, but also close to all moderate political forces to overcome the unnecessary political divisions that prevent us from implementing the solutions our country needs.”
Nice Premium: Can you tell us more about the MoDem organization in the Alpes-Maritimes department?
Fabien Bénard: We have around 400 members, including a good forty active militants. During electoral campaigns with the support of the candidates’ entourages, we can easily exceed a hundred.
The proliferation of parties claiming to be ‘centrist’ has cost us some leaders and others who have pursued personal ambitions and …future candidacies.
N-P: But hasn’t your leader François Bayrou’s star dimmed a bit after the 2007 presidential election?
F.B.: Yes and no. His position has strengthened over the years. Those who left for other horizons (New Centre) had to choose between becoming subservient to the UMP or marginalizing themselves; the newcomers (Dominique de Villepin’s Solidarity Republic and Borloo’s radicals) are here to court our electorate.
But as always, the original is better than the copies and I am certain that the presidential campaign will vindicate François Bayrou’s ideas: between Nicolas Sarkozy’s autocratic democracy, which will have to defend an anything but positive record, and the various socialist candidates’ program wanting to “make the Left win.” Someone who wants to “make France win”; isn’t that the best solution?
As you may have noticed, I don’t even mention Marine Le Pen, who is just a photocopy of her father, with a good makeover.
N-P: Do you have a prediction for the presidential election?
F.B.: We are aiming for at least 10% of the votes with a surprise scenario: François Bayrou in the second round.
In any case, he will be the arbiter of the competition and I believe this time he will give voting instructions for the runoff.
N-P: And for the legislative elections?
F.B.: I am optimistic, many people who left us will return because they are disappointed with their choice. I have contacts reassuring me in this regard. We will have 9 candidates in the Azur constituencies and will respect gender parity with 5 male and 4 female candidates, with deputies of the opposite gender. There too, we are starting from a base of 5% that we aim to improve. And who knows…?
N-P: Will your militants and supporters have the opportunity to meet your leader François Bayrou?
F.B.: It is planned that as part of his regional tour, a stop will be in Nice. It will probably be this autumn (late October, early November). I will attend the MoDem University in Giens (from September 16 to 18, 2011) to arrange this.
