REPORTAGE
Can Toulouse tip over during the second round of municipal elections on June 28? The outcome of the election will in any case be played with very few votes, according to the BVA poll for Europe 1 and La Tribune, published this Monday. The Citizen Archipelago list, led by the green Antoine Maurice, is credited with 51% of the votes. This list, which brings together Europe ecology, rebellious France, and associative activists, would therefore be ahead of that of the outgoing mayor LR and supported by La République en Marche, Jean Luc Moudenc, credited with 49% of the votes. A duel which will therefore be played in a pocket handkerchief, so that the campaign tenses up.
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The spectrum of "yellow vests"
On a Toulouse market, Jean-Luc Moudenc's running mate goes to contact. A few days ago, their head of the list warned: the "yellow vests" are at the gates of the Capitol. So they talk about LGV, metro, aeronautical crisis ... so many files on which their opponents are not up to par, according to Laurence Katzenmayer, deputy mayor.
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"With them, it is a city on standstill and necessarily, people are worried," said the official. "A year of 'yellow vests' in Toulouse, it changed the habits of the people of Toulouse. One of the Archipel Citoyen running mats was one of the spearheads of the 'yellow vests' and that worries them a lot. They don't understand."
"We have reached the gutter"
At the other end of the city, members of Antoine Maurice's list collect proposals from residents. "What would you do if you were mayor?" Asked an activist. "Sports activities for young and old", replies a local resident. For Corinne Martin, present on the Citizen Archipelago list, the outgoing team is hard pressed and seeks to do everything to discredit them.
"We have reached the gutter, in fact," deplores the running mate. "We are the 'yellow vests', who are going to burn everything, the ultra-left… It is absolutely terrible." "Besides, I wonder why people don't protect themselves when they see me coming," she quips. "I'm not sure it actually works."
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The outgoing mayor, Jean-Luc Moudenc, hopes above all that this position of challenger will mobilize his electorate, which he lacked on March 15, during the first round of the municipal elections. As for Antoine Maurice, he is betting on the favorable dynamics accorded to his list, whereas now two consecutive polls give him the winner.