What if on March 22, Les Républicains won Lyon, the third largest city in France? The hypothesis, considered completely far-fetched a few months ago, is starting to take shape, thanks to the progress of candidate LR Etienne Blanc in the polls for the municipal elections. His potential victory could be the result of an agreement between LR and ... Gérard Collomb. The outgoing mayor, former Minister of the Interior and close to Emmanuel Macron, who is running for the Metropolis this year, would not be against an agreement with the right.
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For several weeks, rumors of a recent meeting between the two men have been circulating in the streets of Lyon. Gérard Collomb would have proposed an agreement to the representative of the right: the town hall would return to the Republicans, provided that Etienne Blanc supports the candidacy of Gérard Collomb for the metropolis.
On paper, the agreement seems ideal. For LR, after the European debacle in 2019 and the presidential defeat in 2017, the capital of Gaul, the third largest city in France, would be a very good war. As for Gérard Collomb, who left alone and without support to conquer the metropolis of Lyon, that would almost assure him a victory.
A doubly specific voting system
In Lyon, voters will vote in two separate ballot boxes on March 15 and 22: one is specific to the City, with municipal councilors elected from within nine electoral sectors, which cut across the nine arrondissements of the commune.
The other election concerns the metropolis, which has had vast powers since 2015. The inhabitants of the 59 municipalities of the metropolis, divided into 14 constituencies, will appoint 150 metropolitan councilors. The latter will then elect a president of the Lyon Metropolis. And in this ballot, it is the current mayor of Lyon Gérard Collomb who is favorite, according to polls. According to an OpinionWay study, carried out on February 15, the former Minister of the Interior (26%) is ahead of the EELV Bruno Bernard (20%), the candidate LR François-Noël Buffet (15%) and the dissident LREM David Kimelfeld (14%).
Etienne Blanc denies
There is no secret agreement, however sweeps Etienne Blanc. "I haven't talked to anyone," he said at the microphone of Europe 1. "Vote and then have a contrary policy because in the second round, there was an agreement and arrangements, the voters did not not want it, "continues Étienne Blanc, who believes in his chances of winning. "I think that the center and the Republicans together, we can win the city of Lyon, without agreement and without agreement".
However, nothing is done. Because in the race for the municipality, environmentalists prance at the top of the polls. "We are more than ever ready," says EELV leader Grégory Doucet. "We are effectively preparing for after March 15 and after March 22. I want Lyon to play its part in preserving the climate," he said at the microphone of Europe 1.
Candidates for mayor of Lyon
- Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert, Lyon in Common
- Sandrine Runel, Let's really live Lyon
- Grégory Doucet, Now Lyon for everyone
- Yann Cucherat, A step ahead
- Georges Képénékian, Respirations
- Denis Broliquier, Positivons Lyon
- Etienne Blanc, Bleu blanc Lyon
- Agnès Marion, For the love of Lyon