Nicolas Sarkozy, the UMP candidate for the presidential election, is holding a meeting on Friday evening (6:30 PM) in Nice at the Nikaïa Hall. He is awaited by undecided voters who have not yet made their choice and whom we met during the visits of François Bayrou or Ségolène Royal. He is obviously expected by journalists hoping to catch a notable remark that will spark discussion or photographers in search of a unique photo. He is awaited by activists from the third largest UMP federation in France. Finally, he is eagerly anticipated by the young UMP of the Young Populars who, as soon as they learned of his arrival, set to work to make the Nice meeting the finest in the provinces. At least that is the wish of Romain Mouton, head of the Support Committee “Youth of 06 with Sarkozy”: “We want this to be the biggest provincial meeting and that it marks the campaign.” From 3 PM, a hundred young UMP members will take their places inside the Nikaïa Palace. They will place pamphlets on each chair and they will prepare the atmosphere. No extravagance. Simple banners will show their support for their candidate. They will take charge of welcoming the spectators, with special attention to youth to promote their movement. A t-shirt has been specially designed for this gathering. It will be blue and pay tribute both to Nicolas Sarkozy and to Christian Estrosi, UMP leader of the department, President of the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes, and Minister Delegate for Territorial Development. The goal for the youth populars is to be as visible as possible. “We have no instructions. We have all rights but the limits are the respect of speeches and spectators,” clarifies Romain.
500 young people from the region are expected, including 300 from Alpes-Maritimes. Most will come with other activists by bus departing from each district.
“We’ve met several times. We mainly communicate by email.” The email target to fine-tune the organization. Campaign-long leafleting ensures the presence in the field of Nicolas Sarkozy’s ideas: “Anyone who supports him can help us. The basic principle is to accept all good will. Teams are distributing and posting flyers throughout the department.” For poster sticking, every activist has been equipped with a bucket and glue as militant tools, ready at any moment to cover another candidate’s poster. Thus, there is a fierce struggle between supporters of different candidates to be the most visible. The Young Populars set limits. Indeed, Christian Estrosi gave a respected instruction to set an example: only stick in legal places to avoid visual pollution. They sometimes encounter competitors during leafleting. Romain is sportsmanlike: “I prefer an engaged youth rather than one who is passive. Flyer distributions go well. People start conversations. There is great excitement with this campaign. It mobilizes passionate youth and sparks very constructive debates.”
The young UMP could not imagine for a moment that Nicolas Sarkozy would forget to make a detour through Nice. They are obviously already won over and are pleased that, according to polls, he is leading among young people. “I am already charmed. What do I expect? Simply that he shares his vision of France with values of labor, freedom, and merit,” concludes Romain. Nicolas Sarkozy, like the other eleven candidates, remains to persuade the majority of voters to succeed Jacques Chirac at the Élysée.
