- François Bayrou sets out to seek a second mandate at the town hall of Pau.
- Supported by Les Républicains and La République en Marche, he can even hope for re-election in the first round against a divided left.
- Failing agreement, the PS and environmentalists go into battle each on their own.
Is mass already said in Pau? It is in any case a boulevard which seems to open in front of François Bayrou in the race for municipal elections in the capital of Béarn. Elected mayor for the first time in 2014, the president of the Modem, officially candidate for his succession in recent days, is the big favorite of the ballot.
One month before the first round, the local context is more than favorable. On the one hand, he managed to unite the center and the right around his candidacy and on the other, his opponents advance in dispersed order, notably on the left where there are no less than four lists.
LR sets off again for a ride with Bayrou
Rather discreet lately, François Bayrou leads his boat perfectly on the Gave de Pau. To get a second term, he emptied himself before launching his campaign. Faithful support of Emmanuel Macron, he was quickly able to count on the rallying of La République en Marche which will not present a candidate in front of him. The President of the Republic himself made a remarkable trip to the land of Pau in early January to reaffirm his support. Nothing surprising.
On the other hand, it is a semi-surprise to see the classic right allying itself again with the centrist mayor. If in 2014 the objective was clearly to bring down the Socialists at the head of the city for years, the absence of a list Les Républicains in 2020 questions a little more: "It is lamentable from a democratic point of view" , carried away Denis Bouzon, the candidate of the National Rally.
So why a new alliance with François Bayrou? “The results seem positive to us. The promised achievements have been made. There is a renewed dynamism in Pau today. National considerations must be overcome. For six years, there was no schism between us. It is a responsible and natural choice ”, explains Nicolas Patriarche, LR leader in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
The failure of the rally on the left
In 2014, the president of the Modem had obtained 42% of the votes in the first round then 63% in the second round against the candidate PS. Today, some wonder if François Bayrou will not be elected from March 15, the date of the first round, because in front of him it is a bit each for himself. The left Paloise is completely exploded. Olivier Dartigolles, communist opposition municipal councilor, tried to bring everyone around the table but it was "a failure" as he himself admits.
“I called for common sense in the face of opposing alliances but only Jérôme Marbot (PS) responded. There were, however, complementarities with Jean-François Blanco (EELV) but he left the door at the rally. Despite everything, I think there may still be a surprise, ”said the man who decided to support the socialist candidate with the Communist Party.
📣 A hundred people at the public meeting in the Paul Doumer room.
Thanks to @Dartigolles for the initiative to federate the left forces for the municipal elections.
Our candidate @JeromeMARBOT responded favorably to this invitation. # Pau2020 # Municipales2020 pic.twitter.com/NIw0BASsrk
But the surprise could well come from the Europe Ecology Greens list which obtained 16% of the votes during the last European elections in 2019. Jean-François Blanco, lawyer by profession, did not want "artificial alliance and political arrangement "because there is" a fundamental disagreement on the climate issue "with the PS. "The ecological thrust exists today and we must rely on this political force" adds one who is "convinced to be in the second round against François Bayrou". For the moment, he is the only one to have presented a detailed program: classify the territory of Pau as a protected natural park, introduce free buses, set up a minimum municipal income, ban circuses with animals, etc.
There will be two other lists on the left: that of France Insoumise allied with "yellow vests", led by Patrice Bartolomeo, who proposes a RIC (Referendum of citizens' initiative) on the Grand Prix automobile of Pau, and that of Wrestling Worker carried by Cyrille Marconi.
A role to play for the RN?
In this political context, the National Rally intends to play the troublemakers. The RN list will be led by Denis Bouzon, candidate for the first time in an election at 46 years old. He wishes to "return the city to Palois" and denounces "the absence of a mayor that you never see. We have good musicians but no conductor, it can't go on. During the Europeans a year ago, the RN had obtained 15% of the votes.
Finally, the seventh and last list declared to date is that of Debout la France represented by Joseph Damour.
municipal
Municipal in 2020 in Pau: François Bayrou will be a good candidate for his re-election
Politics
Municipal in 2020 in Pau: Local shops and hydrogen buses will animate the debates
- LREM
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- Elections
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- Modem
- François Bayrou
- The Republicans