"Lyon has yet to change, but without break", according to Yann Cucherat

• After the first round of the municipal elections, three candidates remain for the mayor of Lyon: Grégory Doucet (EELV), Yann Cucherat (ex candidate LREM) and Georges Képénékian, without label.
• Arriving in third position on March 15, with 14.92% of the votes cast, Yann Cucherat knows he is an outsider , given the 28.46% collected by Grégory Doucet (EELV). He joined forces with Etienne Blanc before this second round (LR, 17.01% in the first round).
• The former professional gymnast, who entered politics in 2014 alongside Gérard Collomb, said "to assume this alliance in connection with an exceptional context", namely the coronavirus crisis.

The adrenaline of the Olympic Games and the world championships has given way to the tensions of a first electoral adventure for Yann Cucherat (40) in Lyon. Before the second round of municipal elections, on June 28, the former European gymnastics champion is now approaching the final stretch of the elections alongside Etienne Blanc (LR). Gérard Collomb's sports assistant since 2014 did not avoid any subject during his interview given to 20 Minutes , in a brasserie in Point du Jour (Lyon 5e). Starting with this much-maligned alliance that led to the disinvestment by LREM.

Find the results of the 1st round

For the first big political deadline of your new career, you are not spared from strong emotions…

I recognize that it's been a lot of emotions and developments since the start of this campaign (smile). It was complicated, particularly between the government's use of 49.3, a blow that we had not seen coming, and the maintenance of the first round just before confinement. It distorted the democratic act a little. And then tensions and internal divisions blackened the picture in Lyon and did not allow much talk of the program. It deeply disturbed me because my objective was to present a project in the general interest of the Lyonnais and not to take a position on the relational problems between Gérard Collomb, Georges Képénékian and David Kimelfeld. All this polluted the debate and did not allow us to be precise enough on what we had to propose.

What was your feeling, on the evening of a first round clearly dominated in Lyon by the candidate EELV Grégory Doucet (28.46%, against 14.92% for Yann Cucherat, 3rd)?

It was obviously a disappointment. I felt that the results were likely to be complicated when we failed to bring together the people with whom we had composed the current municipal majority (Georges Képénékian, still in the running in the second round). I have never seen divisions win. Until the last minute, I was one of those who did everything so that we could rewrite ourselves and propose a common project.

Why has this rapprochement with Georges Képénékian not been able to materialize at least in the period between the two towers?

I have always reached out to Georges Képénékian, whom I consider and appreciate. When we knew that the second round would take place on June 28, it was the first that I contacted and that I met. I thought that we would find common ground because something went beyond people, namely this economic issue at the end of the health crisis. Georges was very clear: if he was not at the top of the list in the city, it would not work. I did not consider that it was a starting point for discussions between us. For him, Gérard Collomb also had to get out of the game completely, which was unthinkable for me. He therefore categorically refused to move forward together.

The stake of these negotiations was twofold between the city and the metropolis of Lyon…

Yes, at the same time, Gérard Collomb contacted David Kimelfeld and he directly raised with me the possibility of leaving him the presidency of the metropolis. But David never answered him, he refused to see him. I did things in the right order. Gérard Collomb mentioned all the possible avenues, measuring the advantages and disadvantages of each choice. He made the decision to contact François-Noël Buffet (LR candidate for the metropolis) and the two were just calling for a large gathering. I then started to carry out a joint project with Etienne Blanc, without anyone mentioning his position for an instant in the event of an election.

Presentation ac @YCUCHERAT of our project for a lively and virtuous city center in Lyon ➡️ priority to shops, restaurants, living environment, "made in Lyon", land, creation of floating docks & clean transport of supplies # Lyon2020 pic.twitter.com/lN1BzPfLSO

Did you expect such an outburst of reactions from the political world after this choice of "large gathering", as well as the disinvestment of LREM?

It did not surprise me too much because La République en Marche simply listened to the local deputies whose sole objective is to lose Gérard Collomb. LREM hasn't given us a lot of gifts from the start. It feels like you got a forceps nomination after six months. When we decided to make this alliance, LREM even prepared a press release, before correcting it, to take offense that Gérard Collomb dropped the city to Etienne Blanc, in order to remain in the running for the metropolis. In my opinion, there has been a cabal against Gérard Collomb since his departure from the Ministry of the Interior and this has polluted the political debate of this campaign. But we have taken on responsibilities that we assume and which are linked to an exceptional context.

Was this decision sincerely as much yours as that of Gérard Collomb?

I have forged a real relationship of trust over time with Gérard Collomb and I have always known how to say no when I did not agree with him. It is a great mayor who radically transformed this city into three mandates. I have always been honest to carry my convictions.

Have you not been tempted, in the light of your convictions concerning the strengthening of soft modes and the greening of the city, to get closer to the Greens?

I share without concession the findings made by the Greens, but I do not agree with the extremist responses they bring. It is not possible to want a city 100% dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians. I heard Grégory Doucet announce 1 billion euros of investment only for energy renovation. I do not know where he will find this sum because it is what we want to invest, but for all the equipment of the city. Entrusting this city and this metropolis to rebellious France, the Communist Party and the Greens (who also allied with the PS for the second round), that scares me. In Lyon, a mayor never deconstructed what the previous one had done. There, there would be an experimental laboratory for a utopian project proving dangerous, especially in the face of this major economic crisis during which we will have to reassure people. It is clear that the Lyon economic fabric, which until then had never taken a stand, is beginning to fear the arrival of the Greens who are rebellious to power, that is revealing. Lyon still has to change, but without break.

How ex-gymnast Yann Cucherat went from the Olympics to the municipal elections in Lyon via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/f1gyKQxXRQ

Has this prospect of an economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic prompted you to adjust your program?

Yes, especially in terms of our economic support policy. In recent weeks, measures have been put in place for restaurants and bars, such as exemptions from terraces or the free provision of equipment belonging to the city. These are measures that will have to be extended as long as necessary to support businesses in difficulty. We must also acquire land and then rent these premises at inexpensive prices from local businesses, not just on the peninsula. We made a commitment not to charge additional taxes and we are staying the course.

In this context, what about your common wish, with Gérard Collomb and you, to launch the Ring of Sciences project, the amount of which is estimated at 3 billion euros?

This looping of the device is no longer the issue at the moment. We must already get out of this economic crisis and our substantial investment capacity of € 1 billion will be placed elsewhere, in public facilities offering daily service for the people of Lyonnais. We are not canceling it because it is important to find an alternative solution to the global bypass of the city, but we are going to rethink this project which has turned out to be divisive. Alternative solutions will have to be found, such as the establishment of many relay parks and the construction of the E metro, which is an absolute requirement in western Lyon.

What place would Gérard Collomb occupy, if successful for your list on June 28?

I don't know yet, but it will be a place of choice, just like for Etienne Blanc. If we win, I think he will be keen to support us. He calls me all the time to give me advice. By putting aside his candidacy for the metropolis, Gérard Collomb has put his personal interests in the background, and this in the service of the general interest, it is not trivial. Since he made this decision to transmit, he is lighter. In a way, it freed him.

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