Paris (AFP)

After Marseille, "we are doing much worse": favorite, the lieutenant of Valérie Pécresse, Vincent Jeanbrun, finally had to give way to Patrick Ollier (LR), re-elected Thursday as head of the Metropolis of Greater Paris, thanks to the support of Anne Hidalgo.

At the start, they were four official candidates including the right-wing elected Vincent Jeanbrun supported by the president of the Ile-de-France region Valérie Pécresse. However, Ms. Pécresse is a fierce opponent of the MGP, against a background of rivalry with the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, first vice-president of the metropolis.

Faced with Mr. Jeanbrun, the centrist Philippe Laurent, the socialist Daniel Guiraud, Patrice Leclerc (Left Front) and ... despite himself, Patrick Ollier, who although not a candidate won nine votes in the first round.

Before the announcement of the result, André Santini, President of the Assembly in his capacity as dean and mayor (Les Centristes) for 40 years of Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine), warns: "Do not leave after the result. It's just the appetizer. "

Indeed, the first results seem tight between the candidate of the right and that of the center (79 votes against 73, out of 207 voters) to lead this metropolis which gathers the capital and 130 communes of Ile-de-France, for more seven million inhabitants, but whose very existence and its perimeter are disputed.

Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire, also First Deputy of Anne Hidalgo, then requests a suspension of the session. "There is no majority," notes the elected official.

Piqué, Vincent Jeanbrun, supported by Valérie Pécresse (Libres) and Rachida Dati (LR), and whose Wikipedia file already indicated, before being deleted, "should become president of the Metropolis of Greater Paris", is quite upset.

"We hit the headlines with what happened in Marseille, and we are doing a lot worse here today," annoys the mayor of L'Haÿ-les-Roses, 36 , before asking in turn for a suspension of the session, extended every ten minutes.

Two hours later, to everyone's surprise, Patrick Ollier declared his candidacy: "The situation is difficult and the problem is the future of the Metropolis. (...) I am a candidate as a rally candidate", said the outgoing president, 75, but "excited to be able to continue the work".

This time, the candidates support Patrick Ollier, who is re-elected with 133 votes out of 137 votes cast.

"This is what is called a roundly conducted operation," says Emmanuel Grégoire.

- "You are ashamed" -

The election is a "total disrespect", "small shenanigans", denounces Vincent Jeanbrun for his part.

"You are ashamed, some here are shaming democracy", plague the elected official, who "in responsibility", withdraws from the race at the request of Valérie Pécresse so as not to risk "letting a minority group win, the UDI ", confides the interested party to AFP.

Several dozen right-wingers, including the LR candidate in the Paris municipal elections, Rachida Dati, refuse to take part in the vote and leave the hemicycle, and denounce the betrayal of one of their own.

"It's been three days that he (Patrick Ollier, Editor's note) negotiates. The deal was made between (him), Anne Hidalgo and Jean-Christophe Lagarde for several days", annoys Mr. Jeanbrun.

"It is not democracy but nepotism", adds the unhappy candidate, attacking "the grand duchess of the metropolis, who is called Madame Hidalgo, and who gave, as to the nobility of the great era, the posts , armchairs and delegations ".

"Happy" with the result of the vote, Ms. Hidalgo reminds her rival, Valérie Pécresse, that "MGP cannot be hostage to the start of a regional campaign". "For years, Valérie Pécresse has been trying to dynamite this metropolis from the inside and from the outside," she laments to the press.

Also at stake, the post of first vice-president which the mayor of Paris retains, and which had been promised to Rachida Dati in the event of Mr. Jeanbrun's victory.

© 2020 AFP