- After the first round of the municipal elections on March 15, there are still three candidates for mayor of Nantes: Johanna Rolland (PS), Laurence Garnier (LR) and Valérie Oppelt (LREM).
- Arriving in 4th position with 13% of the votes cast, Valérie Oppelt appears to be an outsider.
- She explains making health and employment her new priorities.
She qualified for the second round but almost no one imagines her becoming mayor of Nantes on June 28. Valérie Oppelt, 46, had won 13% of the vote at the end of the first round, 18 and 6 points less respectively than her predecessors. Has the health crisis reshuffled the cards? The LREM candidate believes in it. And defends tooth and nail his project for the people of Nantes.
How do you approach this offbeat second round?
With great gravity, even if I did not expect to resume the campaign so quickly. I was not in favor of an election on June 28. The first round was completely distorted by the health crisis and abstention. I would have preferred that we vote later, even if it means starting over. It is clear that the citizens have no head at all in these elections! But we have no choice, so we are back in working order, with great motivation. We are still there, ready to propose a coherent project in response to the crisis.
What program elements have you changed?
Safety was the priority. This remains an important subject but I have decided to refocus my program in favor of health, solidarity and employment. I am announcing a local Marshall plan of 100 million euros to revive the economy and continue to invest rather than decreeing moratoria on major projects as resolved by Johanna Rolland. I think of the Cité des Congrès which must be enlarged if Nantes is to be a European city that shines. I am also thinking of 5G that we must support because behind it is still telemedicine, telework. I also propose to create shared premises to allow companies to develop remote work without forcing employees to stay at home. I want a city where life is good but which remains ambitious.
Is the ambition also to support the project for a new CHU, however contested?
It is a major project, calls for tenders are launched: there is no reason to stop it, contrary to what Laurence Garnier says, who wants to make it a trophy for lack of having worked on the other subjects. If the new university hospital is abandoned, I can tell you that the state money will not go to another Nantes project, it will go elsewhere! The capacity in beds must be reviewed but it should not be forgotten that the building will be modular and will allow it to be increased. I also note that there was no recourse! Laurence Garnier did not move when the time came. Furthermore, reducing the health problem in Nantes at the CHU is a gross error. It is first of all a problem of medical desertification, local medicine and prevention. That's why I offer nursing homes in all neighborhoods.
On May 27, you suggested that the shortlisted candidates draw up an astonishing single list. All refused. Would you do it again?
Yes. I was shocked by the attitude of the candidates who, upon the announcement of a second round scheduled for June 28, resumed the campaign as if nothing had happened while the crisis was not over. So I proposed shared management of the city, which would have taken into account our scores, of course, and our specificities. I think it was too innovative for them. I'm new to politics, I don't have their political reflexes. When Johanna Rolland joins Julie Laernoes when they do not share anything on the merits, it does not bother them, as long as they can consolidate their positions.
Did this PS-Green alliance surprise you?
No, everything was prepared. At the end of the first round campaign we already saw that Julie Laernoes was a little less harsh with Johanna Rolland. But it's a real scandal! Julie Laernoes already warns that she will not vote for certain projects, it is completely inconsistent. When you also see that on this list there is a person who was convicted for throwing flour on the mayor of Nantes, there is still a problem of self-esteem in Johanna Rolland. In reality, it is much closer to my program than that of Julie Laernoes. She played her personal safety at the expense of Nantes residents. These are old methods. It must be denounced because the general public does not see it. It's a shame, with this alliance, we will regress on a lot of subjects.
You could have teamed up with Laurence Garnier…
She made advances to me but I did not agree with the CHU. I would not have agreed to campaign with her on this subject. And then the majority of my running mate wanted to continue alone. It's better that way.
Looking back on three months, how do you analyze your first round score?
It is a disappointment. I honestly hoped to do more than 13%. But the Covid turned things upside down. We were also coming out of a complicated pension reform, we were angry with us for the use of 49-3… I represent the government majority and I had to pay national decisions, even if I am proud to be part of this majority who knew how to manage the crisis. And then, locally, I had a short campaign, I was invested late, it didn't help.
You felt less comfortable speaking than the other candidates…
I do not have fifteen years of politics behind me, unlike the others. I arrive as I am. I work on the background a lot. Speaking is not what makes the action. I really enjoyed campaigning, human contact. The debates less, actually.
Will you be mayor of Nantes on June 28?
Everything is possible. There was a strong abstention, three months went by, a global crisis ... We cannot know what the results will be. So, yes, I am still campaigning to be mayor of Nantes. Otherwise what interest? It's a shame to think that the match is over. Nantes residents must fight for their city. If they don't want to see projects that cancel out one after the other, if they want a real change, a team of skills, I advise them to put their voices on us. The people of Nantes are not only from the left or the right. We match them well I think.
What if you lose?
I am in love with my city, I want to move it forward, whatever happens. I have lots of ideas. It would be a chance for Johanna Rolland: she would have a constructive opposition. There would be no systematic blockage, as Laurence Garnier does. I will also continue, of course, my mission as an MP, which is fascinating.
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- LREM
- Municipal
- Nantes
- Valérie Oppelt
- Elections