The opposition party at Montreal city hall, which is still struggling to find a candidate to stand in the 2025 municipal election, is postponing its leadership race to “give more time” to those interested. to manifest.
Posted at 2:00 p.m.
“Since the unveiling of the rules of the race last September and the announcement of the departure of Valérie Plante, many personalities from various backgrounds have expressed their interest in this major function,” says the president of Ensemble Montréal, Carmine Pollice, in a statement to The Press.
Ensemble Montréal is still looking for a strong candidate for 2025. At the beginning of November, the group rejected the only leadership candidate to have come forward so far, Younes El Moustir, a real estate broker who regularly comments on current affairs on QUB Radio.
Other strong candidates were excluded. According to our information, former Liberal minister David Heurtel, whose name has been circulating a lot behind the scenes to run for mayor, has, among other things, formally said no to the Ensemble Montréal troops in recent weeks.
Until now, interested candidates had until December 15 to submit a candidacy, and the leadership race was to begin on January 9, with a nomination convention ultimately scheduled for February 16. The campaign was expected to last about five weeks, with two debates scheduled for the end of January.
All these dates will therefore be postponed, but we still do not know when exactly. However, the postponement would be counted in months, not weeks. For the moment, the opposition limits itself to saying that “the new dates governing this important process for the future of Ensemble Montréal will be revealed later.”
A “strategic choice”
By way of justification, Mr. Pollice states that it is currently “difficult” for certain potential candidates “to commit immediately, both for personal and professional reasons, a factor to which Ensemble Montréal is sensitive.”
He says he wants to give everyone more time to think “in a context where major issues are shaking up our metropolis and its citizens.” “It is also a strategic choice, allowing Ensemble Montréal to better position itself in relation to the Projet Montréal race,” notes the training.
In the mayor’s party, we already know that the identity of the person who will succeed Valérie Plante will be known next March. Projet Montréal confirmed two weeks ago that the submission of applications will begin on December 9 and will be open until January 31, 2025.
Then, the Projet Montréal leadership race will begin on February 3, which means that debates could then be organized and that leadership aspirants will be able to hold mobilization activities. In total, this electoral period will last nearly a month and a half, culminating in voting day, March 15, the day when we will know who will succeed Ms.me Plante.
The deadline to join the party, in order to be able to vote as a member, has been set for February 13.
With Tommy Chouinard, The Press
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