- The first round of municipal elections in the town of Allauch ended with a snub for the outgoing mayor, who came second after a tense campaign.
- The sulphurous DVG edile, Roland Povinelli, died in the space between the two towers.
- Part of his running mate has allied with their former right-wing adversary, who has topped the list.
Once upon a time ... Allauch. Small Provencal town, in the peaceful city center, a stone's throw from the northern districts of Marseille. A city in the hands since 1975 of an indestructible local baron and, it seems, indestructible, the former guerinist Roland Povinelli. A mayor you might think came out of a film, known for all kinds of legal setbacks, ranging from death threats against a journalist to suspected embezzlement, including accusations of harassment morale on the part of an opponent. A mayor who, although weakened by major health problems, had decided to re-stack for an eighth term in March 2020, at the age of 78.
The stage is set. It is already unusual. The rest is not either: in Allauch, despite appearances, nothing is ever completely calm, at least when it comes to the town hall. The start of the electoral campaign was marked by anonymous death threats against two candidate candidates for Roland Povinelli. The first round ended in failure for the list of outgoing mayor. Only 24.27%. A score which places the councilor in second position, behind the young candidate LR Lionel de Cala (31.88%). "The mayor has almost never been on waivers," recalls Jean Tomasini, Roland Povinelli's assistant and longtime traveling companion. It's a terrible slap. "
"A new one-round ballot"
The story does not end there. The coronavirus epidemic invites itself into the Allaudian political narrative. The in-between towers drags on. And the news that no one expected is coming one morning in May. Roland Povinelli is dead. "We had planned a lot, but not that," says Jean Tomasini, running mate of the late mayor. The eternal baron's political career ends there, at the same time as his life, as if to better signify that the two trajectories, personal and political, have been one for decades.
And after ? How to envisage a match without the main player? What does a municipal election look like in Allauch, when the all-powerful Roland Povinelli is no longer there, leaving behind an entire orphan system with his prow? "In a municipal election against the outgoing mayor, we try to beat the mayor, admits Laurent Jacobelli, RN candidate for mayor of Allauch and part of the party of Marine Le Pen. There, the cards are shuffled. It is as if we had a new ballot in one round. "
As soon as the coffin was closed, a war of succession opened, as often when the head of an empire dies. And, in terms of an improbable scenario, the after Povinelli is up to the front. To replace the mayor DVG, as the top of the list, running mate decided to ally themselves with… one of their opponents on the right, regional councilor Monique Robineau, who came in fourth position in the first round.
"It was the will of Roland Povinelli"
The latter affirms it: by assuming this role of heiress, it would only respect the last wishes of the mayor. "I have worked a lot with Roland Povinelli lately," says Monique Robineau. He had already offered to join him several times. Last year, he told me again. He told me that he would not stay long because of his health problems. He wanted it to be me, because I was the best able to preserve his work. But I had already submitted my lists, as I did not know what he was doing. It's a question of time. After the first round, he offered to be his first assistant. "
As if to better legitimize her speech and this filiation with a mayor whom she fought in the first round, Monique Robineau even set up a support committee chaired by…. Roland Povinelli's granddaughter. And if she is elected, she wants to be called Monique Robineau-Chailan, from the name of her ancestor who was mayor of the town in 1794. "It was the will of Roland Povinelli that they called me so" , she says.
"The marriage of carp and rabbit"
The problem is that this fusion of a somewhat special kind is not unanimous among the running mate of the former local baron, who have been tearing themselves apart for a few weeks. "A small minority believed they were invested with powers that no one had delegated to them to devise a strategy that was curious to say the least," plague several running mate in a press release, led by the very upset Jean Tomasini. "They have no chance of winning the elections," said the deputy mayor. When you marry carp with a rabbit, it is rare that your descendants live up to your expectations… ”
"Me, I kept the same team, I have a consistency in my speeches, and I do not change", tackle Lionel de Cala who hopes well, with this new cast, "embody the renewal" and "the desire de change ”at Allauch, after an encouraging first round. "This alliance is a scam," says Laurent Jacobelli. I have a thought for the voters who are sincerely on the right… ”
"The USSR did survive Khrushchev"
Third unhappy man despite great hopes of his party on him, the candidate RN tries to make a place for himself, wedged between the list according to him "of a system" which survives well after Roland Povinelli, like "the USSR has survived well to Khrushchev ”, and this new favorite LR. The latter finds himself accused by his opponents of ineligibility on the grounds that he occupies a managerial position within the regional council. Charges that Lionel de Cala categorically refutes.
"After threats, anonymous letters, smear campaigns, some of my competitors have reached a new milestone," wrote Lionel de Cala in a statement. And to add: "I will not let these individuals install an even more unhealthy climate during this second round". Certainly, in Allauch, at first glance, everything seems calm. But beware of Allauch who sleeps ...
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