The defeat of their candidate was hard to swallow, but the feeling of revenge quickly took over among the local right-wing personalities, surrounded by a handful of loyalists during this oh-so-sorrowful time.
Nicolas Sarkozy’s statement on television was listened to in a silence punctuated by applause.
After so many nights of electoral celebrations, defeat is not easy to accept! And a few honks from socialist supporters added a sense of ridicule to the bitterness.
But above all, we must turn the page and think about other tomorrows!
This is the message in the speeches of Eric Ciotti and Rudy Salles, who spoke in the absence of Christian Estrosi, whose attempted live link from Paris failed.
The statement from the President of the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes: “We must not hide that the defeat is heavy because we believed in victory until the end. But we have to be realistic, France is in the same movement as all other European countries, no majority has survived this period of crisis.
We must express our gratitude to Nicolas Sarkozy for the tremendous work he accomplished; he was an extraordinary president.
Tonight we are beaten but not defeated. There are still many challenges to face together starting with the upcoming legislative elections.
I remind you that the Alpes-Maritimes and Nice remain strongly anchored to the right.”
Rudy Salles, president of the Nouveau Centre: “Nicolas Sarkozy was a President who served our country well. Now we must mobilize to confirm the traditional legislative results in the Alpes-Maritimes where 9 out of 9 deputies are elected by our coalition. This is our next challenge, and we must win it.”
Finally, Christian Estrosi, president of the support committee for the outgoing president in the department, shared his thoughts: “I am sad for France, but I am convinced that France will still need Nicolas Sarkozy.
I am proud that the Alpes-Maritimes and Nice gave the best score to Nicolas Sarkozy.
The resistance begins here tonight. The reconquest is now!”
Christian Estrosi did not abandon the warrior style he had adopted throughout the campaign and delivered strong words.
