• Jean-Laurent Félizia decided to stay in the second round of the regional elections, despite an RN in the lead.

  • A decision disapproved of EELV and several running mates, who fear that this position favors the extreme right.

The night was short for Jean-Laurent Félizia. Since this Sunday evening, date of the results of the first round of the regional elections, the candidate EELV, head of the list of the left coalition in Paca, finds himself on the front line. Arrived in third position behind outgoing LR president Renaud Muselier, and his main rival, RN candidate Thierry Mariani, Jean-Laurent Félizia announced, around 10 p.m., his intention to remain, breaking the logic of a withdrawal in the name of republican front.

"The question arose from the start of the campaign, and particularly last week," says Nathalie Morand, spokesperson for EELV en Paca.

Some found it difficult to sleep wondering what was the right or wrong solution.

We had a lot of informal discussions between us.

The decision was considered, it was not taken out of emotion.

She was guided by the fact that the Republican front is not working anyway.

If we withdraw, our voters will vote white.

"

"It's enough to be the left beaver"

"It's enough to be the left beaver, just there to build dams, abounds with some annoyance a socialist running mate already a candidate in 2014. We have already had to withdraw facing the RN during the last elections, and there was no more left to the regional council. The left here is at the bottom of the abyss. Our voters are no longer traveling. And it is not by blocking that we will continue to mobilize them! "

The catch?

This position deeply divides the political partners of Jean-Laurent Félizia, both locally and nationally, and the EELV candidate finds himself let loose in open country on all sides.

Since his statement on Sunday evening, calls for withdrawal have multiplied hour by hour.

There was first Olivier Faure, the president of the Socialist Party, who was wrong, in the name of "the risk taken in the face of the extreme right.

“Then there was EELV which, through the voice of Julien Bayou this Monday morning threatened the latter with exclusion in case of maintenance.

Internal dissensions

“The same people who call for withdrawal on social networks congratulated us last night, annoys a local EELV executive. This is all a matter of posture. We had conducted a survey of our voters and a majority had positioned themselves in favor of maintaining it. To these party oppositions are added local protests, including some of the running mate. Shortly after his statement, the Bouches-du-Rhône federation of the Communist Party, which has sixteen candidates alongside Jean-Laurent Félizia, announced its opposition to the strategy of the head of the list.

"We consider that the RN risk is too great to allow this kind of adventure, tackle Anthony Goncalves, candidate on the list for regional in the Bouches-du-Rhône and leader of the PCF for its regional.

It is a political error, and we made our disapproval known last night.

We were not behind Jean-Laurent Félizia at the time of his statement.

"" I was a candidate on the list of Jean-Laurent Félizia, it will be without me ", launches on social networks Alexandre Latz, referent of the movement Place Publique

No withdrawal possible for running mates

For his part, the socialist mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan has also expressed his opposition to such a position. It is difficult in these conditions to imagine the running mate of Jean-Laurent Félizia close to the mayor of Marseille, like Arnaud Drouot, his chief of staff, remaining in solidarity with the head of the environmentalist list in this electoral battle. And this, especially since the boss of the Socialists Olivier Faure has promised that in the event of maintenance, no socialist would be present on the lists.

A small technical detail, not so anecdotal, however hinders these refractory running mates: legally, nothing allows them to withdraw during the in-between rounds.

Their fate is therefore in the hands of Jean-Laurent Félizia and his decision.

“Jean-Laurent Félizia will not hold the pressure, forecasts a socialist running mate of Bouches-du-Rhône.

He still has the parties on his back, and that matters.

"For the moment, even if nothing has been stopped, we are still moving towards a maintenance", retorts a local EELV executive.

The deposit of the lists must be made before this Tuesday 6 pm.

Elections

Regional results in Paca: A triangular marked by the Mariani-Muselier duel

Elections

Results of regional Paca: Calls for the withdrawal of Jean-Laurent Félizia multiply

  • Thierry mariani

  • Regional elections

  • National gathering

  • Renaud Muselier