Lille (AFP)

A victory at 227 votes! PS mayor of Lille Martine Aubry was a survivor on Sunday evening in the face of the national green wave, after having prevailed on the wire, after a long suspense, in front of her ex-ecological ally Stéphane Baly.

To win her fourth and final mandate, the one who succeeded Pierre Mauroy in 2001 got scared when she had been the campaign's favorite for a long time. She won with 40% of the votes against 39.4% to Stéphane Baly and 20.6% to the other candidate of this triangular, the macronist Violette Spillebout, against a background of record abstention (more than 68%).

At the beginning of the evening, the pollsters' estimates placed the two former allies side by side, even gave a small advantage to Mr. Baly, almost unknown to the general public a few weeks ago.

While it is behind in Lille intramuros, the outgoing mayor finally won thanks to his good results in the associated commune of Lomme.

The one who challenged it in 2014, Jean-René Lecerf (ex-LR), current president of the Nord department, praised his "strong character", necessary "in the face of the storm that is likely to break out".

As for the managers of La France insoumise, worried about this green push for the upcoming elections, they supported mezzo voce Martine Aubry.

The mayor, who did not hide his concern in recent days about a possible defeat, she put forward in the final straight his stature and his experience.

"I have the skills and the shoulders," she said.

Just after the announcement of his victory, the one who felt the wind of the ball was careful not to display.

"I first of all feel great sadness at the rate of abstention as high in France and Lille. We will have to find politics again! I also feel great happiness at having obtained the trust of the people of Lille to continue to go further, much further on social justice and ecological transition, "she told AFP.

- "Wear of the PS" -

And at the PS, the time was more for relief than outpouring of joy.

"Phew! We never saw that ... When I open my windows tomorrow morning, the belfry will still be socialist," said PS Senators boss Patrick Kanner, another reconciled northern socialist figure, to AFP. recently with Ms. Aubry.

As for Martine Filleul, the patron saint of the PS federation of the North, she "regretted" this "fight for nothing", this "fratricidal fight" with the Greens.

Because for the first time in decades, socialists and environmentalists, who co-led the executive, chose to go it alone, after an accumulation of tensions during the last mandate.

"Even if the wrongs are shared, what a monumental error on the part of Martine to have left in the second round without the Greens! She really lost her political compass with the death of Pierre de Saintignon", her former right arm, strangled a socialist elected official on Sunday.

"I'm taking my risk! The Greens here are unbearable. No way they'll spoil my last term for me," Martine Aubry justified in early June.

Acting on his defeat, Mr. Baly however considered that "the wind of change has blown" in Lille and warned the mayor against any passage in force on a project to develop a wasteland in the city center, big apple discord between the now ex-partners.

"Even if Martine Aubry barely gets by, she has a weak legitimacy and this election marks the wear and tear of the PS in Lille", analyzes political scientist Rémi Lefebvre, "absolutely convinced" that the mayor "will hand over during the mandate "to that which now appears as its runner-up, the former deputy Audrey Linkenheld.

© 2020 AFP