Michèle Tabarot in Le Cannet, Éric Pauget in Antibes and Alexandra Martin with David Lisnard in Cannes arrived behind candidates from the National Rally in constituencies that have been theirs for many years.
The Figaro Nice
These were the results that surprised the most, Sunday evening, among the nine constituencies of the Alpes-Maritimes. In three bastions of the Republicans now “historical channel”, the outgoing deputies established for many years were overtaken by candidates of the National Rally. In Cannet (9e “circo”), Michèle Tabarot, president of the national investiture commission and at the forefront of the protest against the choice of her former friend Éric Ciotti, is almost ten points behind (33.84% against 42.31%). The situation is just as complex in Antibes (7e) for Eric Pauget, protégé of the highly respected Jean Leonetti (24.88% against 36.32%). An even more perilous operation in Cannes (8e) for Alexandra Martin, who was nevertheless replaced by David Lisnard (elected mayor with 88%), who sees the representative of Marine Le Pen’s party having more than 14 points ahead (28.39% against 42.74%). On the Côte d’Azur, these historic strongholds of the right are in danger before the second round.
The first warning dates back to the European elections: in these Côte d’Azur cities, the RN had outperformed with up to 38.09% in Cannet, territory of the Tabarot, parliamentary brother and sister, where the list of François-Xavier Bellamy had only finished third with 11.72%. The same in Cannes and Antibes, where the LR list had been distanced in the same proportions by that of Jordan Bardella.
If Eric Pauget could see it at that time “a sanction vote to let off steam”betting on the future “Local anchoring of deputies to maintain positions”the ballot boxes of the first round of the early legislative elections did not confirm this theory. It must also be said that in the meantime, the right imploded with the LR-RN alliance decided by Éric Ciotti against the general opinion of the party executives, and that the shocks were particularly strong in the Alpes-Maritimes. These results will be able to secretly make the one who is still president of the Republicans rejoice. In recent weeks, he has seen his close friends, even those on the Côte d’Azur, turn their backs on him while wanting his skin.
Three duels
But nothing is decided yet, especially with three duels in perspective, and votes waiting to be transferred. In the ninth constituency, Michèle Tabarot could count on the voters of José Garcia-Abia, the general secretary of the Socialist Party in the department, who did not qualify (18.43%). But beyond that, one of her close friends believes that she will be able to get by on the ground. “Michèle has not campaigned as she would have liked in recent weeks since she has managed LRhe slips. But don’t try to find a photo of her in Paris!adds this faithful who wishes him well.
For Alexandra Martin and David Lisnard, under the label of their New Energy party, the gap seems the most difficult to bridge. But the outgoing elected official believes that she has “resisted better than the others”The fact that she has collected more ballots in her name than two years ago and that she has faced an Ensemble candidate keeps her hopeful. Alexandra Martin thus intends to remind people that she is “an established MP who has initiated cases to act on authority”. “I’m not going to fight on moralization, that’s been over for a long time. We have to fight on ideas.”she assumes with the Figaro. If David Lisnard judged that she had “held up wonderfully” In the context, he called on voters, “in this chaos, to remain faithful to our values”.
In his Antibes territory, Éric Pauget, who led a grassroots campaign while remaining “steadfast” on his ideas, also has a reservoir of votes where the RN representative seems to have reached his glass ceiling. The Ensemble candidate obtained 17.47% and that of the left 16.66%. These historic LR, who have always opposed “Macronism”, find themselves today in a narrow space to get out of it… at the risk of being trapped.
