Metropolis Town Hall | The only application for leadership of Ensemble Montréal rejected

Ensemble Montréal, the opposition party at city hall, rejected this week the only candidate to have so far come forward to take back its leadership, we learned The Press. The decision will, however, be appealed.

“After analysis and evaluation of your file, the electoral committee decided to reject your candidacy. We sincerely thank you for your commitment and your interest in Ensemble Montréal,” writes the president of the group, Carmine Pollice, in a letter sent Wednesday to entrepreneur Younes El Moustir, without offering any explanations.

The race for the leadership of the opposition party was launched in mid-October. Mr. El Moustir, a trained real estate broker who regularly comments on current events on QUB Radio, was so far the only one to have expressed interest. The deadline to apply is December 15.

Little is still known about the reasons for the decision. Reached by telephone during the day on Friday, Carmine Pollice indicated that he would make “no comments on this” for the moment.

In a reply to the party, Mr. El Moustir mentions having been criticized for “an improper signature of my candidacy form by a relative of a member of the electoral committee”. “I would like to state from the outset that the number of compliant signatures collected far exceeds the number of 200 required by the leadership race regulations,” he defends himself, however.

The businessman appealed the decision. In a statement, he specifies that he made the choice to join Ensemble Montréal “despite the party’s immense debt and the shadow of Denis Coderre.” “I understand today that there is a minority clique that engages in political obstruction,” he also notes.

A former minister says no

Furthermore, according to our information, former Liberal minister David Heurtel, whose name is circulating a lot behind the scenes to run for town hall, would have formally said no to the Ensemble Montréal troops in recent days.

“The race is still in progress. People still have over a month to make a decision and I can’t comment on who is thinking about taking the plunge or not. But people can change their minds,” Mr. Pollice said when we asked him about the subject.

A resident of Old Montreal, Mr. Heurtel has often been asked to try his luck at town hall. His career makes him an interesting potential choice. He was press secretary to Bernard Landry, president of the Olympic Installations Authority, then Minister of the Environment and Immigration.

In short, the opposition party would still be looking for a strong candidacy for 2025. Officially, the race for the leadership of Ensemble Montréal will be launched on January 9, but the nomination convention will not take place until February 16. The campaign will last approximately five weeks, with two debates scheduled for the end of January.