How do you analyze this first round after a few days?
Frédérique Grégoire Concas:
Unsurprisingly, with two candidates who clearly pulled ahead at the end of the first round and a respectable turnout for a by-election.
Benoît Kandel: Last Sunday, voters made a clear choice by giving Denise Fabre and myself nearly 48% of the votes while there were 8 candidates competing.
They expressed their preference in the first round, viewing me as the most useful candidate for the canton.
They probably also wanted to punish a general council member who has been in office for 11 years but is evidently very absent from the field.
Abstention was a feature of this first round. Do you think more voters will turn out for this second round of voting?
Frédérique Grégoire Concas:
I certainly hope so. If all the voters who reject Nicolas Sarkozy’s politics and are disappointed by Christian Estrosi go to the polls next Sunday, victory will be ours.
Benoît Kandel: On the contrary, abstention was lower than expected. I remind you that this is a by-election with a short campaign and voting days that coincide with long weekends. Despite all these events, about 30% of the electorate turned out. I naturally call for even stronger mobilization next Sunday.
How did you perceive the voting instructions of other candidates after the first round?
Frédérique Grégoire Concas:
As a huge satisfaction. All the first-round candidates have called to block the UMP and its candidate, who is now a lone figure, with only the support of the animal defense association…
Benoît Kandel: Honestly, I was a bit surprised by some voting instructions that were clearly motivated by strictly personal considerations. In my view, no candidate owns their votes, and citizens are wise enough to know what they need to do!
What are the three major projects you will undertake in the twelfth canton upon your arrival?
Frédérique Grégoire Concas:
A major policy to develop social housing, as residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods can no longer live in such conditions.
A major transportation policy with the demand for immediate, not 2017, extension of the tramway to La Trinité. Bridges will cross the Paillon so that the Bon Voyage and Liserons neighborhoods are not forgotten by the tram.
A major ecology policy for the large parks on Mont Boron and Vinaigrier, the green lung of our canton.
I also won’t forget about a major policy of solidarity between generations, creating meeting places for neighborhood children and seniors, as solidarity is an essential value.
I remain, of course, within the jurisdiction of the General Council and am committed to not indulging in my opponent’s demagogy who waves the banner of security, a concept that falls under the competence of the Town Hall, its First Deputy, and the district’s Deputy.
Benoît Kandel: If elected next Sunday, I will be a general council member able to provide concrete responses to the concerns of the canton’s residents. I have the confidence of Deputy Mayor Christian Estrosi and General Council President Eric Ciotti, and I am also the First Deputy of the city of Nice. I will thus effectively defend the numerous projects carried out either separately or jointly by the two authorities. Lastly, I will pay particular attention to security issues, which many voters have discussed with me.
In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent?
Frédérique Grégoire Concas:
I don’t know of any flaws in him a priori, I find him courteous and serious. He has a quality that his mentors should emulate—humility, which is a change from the blustering behavior of Messrs. ESTROSI and CIOTTI.
Benoît Kandel: I have no criticisms to make about my competitor. My personal culture has always led me to respect and consider my opponent. I have no intention of changing my attitude.
Finally, it’s Sunday evening and you have won. What will you do with your evening?
Frédérique Grégoire Concas:
It will certainly be festive, but brief because Monday morning, I will be back at work!
Benoît Kandel: I don’t place myself in that situation. Nothing is decided yet, and I remain mobilized until the end of the campaign. Regardless of the result on Sunday, I will warmly thank the many people who have supported me since the beginning of this campaign.
