French Locals 2008: PACA
PACA (PS +1)
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Still relatively close to the Socialists, the left held their position(s) well. In Digne-les-Bains, the incumbent DVG mayor was easily re-elected, with over 60%. In Manosque, a bit closer race for the UMP incumbent, who ended up winning 52-48. The Socialists held the general council, under the leadership of Jean-Louis Bianco, a top official in the 2007 Royal campaign.
Hautes-Alpes: In office since 2007 only, the PRG mayor of Gap, was supported for re-election by the UMP. He defeated a Socialist and DVD list in the runoff, taking 44.7% to the PS 43%. The NC mayor of Embrun was re-elected by the first round, barely, taking 50.5% against 30.6% to the PS, 14.4% to a DVD list and 4.5% to the MoDem. In the eastern city of Briancon, generally favourable to the right (despite the constituency having a PRG MP), the UMP incumbent Alain Bayrou was re-elected with 52%. After losing it in 2004 to the elderly DVG Auguste Treupheme, the UMP gained (outright) the department.
Alpes-Maritimes: In Nice, one of the country’s largest cities, and also a right-wing/far-right place, the battle involved two generations of UMP candidates. Firstly, the incumbent, the former FN deputy Jacques Peyrat, running again against the official UMP candidate; and the long-time Sarkozyste and official UMP candidate Christian Estrosi. Other candidates included Patrick Allemand (PS), Patrick Mottard (DVG), Lydia Schenardi (FN) and Herve Cael (MoDem-PRG-MEI). Estrosi passed the first round with 35.8% to 23.1% to Peyrat; Allemand took 22.3%. After obtaining nearly 12% in the 2001 locals, the FN collapsed to 4.2%, despite the department having the reputation of being strong for the FN. Estrosi was elected, with 41.33% to Allemand’s 33.2% (the left took 41.3% in 2001). Peyrat ended up with 25.5%. In the department’s other cities, all held by the right, the only real trouble was a plethora of DVD dissident lists here and there. In Cagnes-sur-Mer, the UMP won by the first round with 56%; the FN took 11.8% and won 2 seats. The Socialists, who came in second, and the MoDem list also won seats. Same scenario in Antibes, where the UMP took 59.3% by the first round. A DVD list came second with 15.9%, the PCF in third with 13.1% and the PS with a mere 11.7%. The presence of 4 right-wing lists in the first round and 3 in the runoff gave the race attention it would’ve never got otherwise. They even did a poll! The UMP incumbent topped the first round with 37%, followed by two DVD lists (one at 23.7%, a second at 20.8%). The PS took 10.43%. Brochand won the runoff with 40.7%, a DVD list followed with 37.1%. The PS took 11.7% and the other DVD list collapsed to 10.5%. The UMP won Grasse with 51% in the first round.
Bouches-du-Rhone: Originally considered a shoo-in for re-election, Jean-Claude Gaudin, the UMP mayor of Marseille saw his race tighten to the point that his seat was in jeopardy. The election came down to one sector, Marseille-3. The PS list leader, Jean-Noel Guerini was standing here, no doubt understanding the importance of the sector. However, the UMP’s Renaud Muselier won the sector, and the election, with 51.4%. The left, with Patrick Menucci gained Marseille-1 with 50.7%. No other sectors changed hands. The right held onto its strongholds in the south of the city, with Gaudin winning his 4th sector with 52.1% in the first round. The right won 58.7% in the 5th, and 54.4% in the 6th. In the left-wing sectors of the north, the Socialist held on well, as expected. It won Marseille-2 with 55% in the first round, and won 54.1% in Marseille-7 in a runoff with the UMP and the FN. With the Communist incumbent standing down in Marseille-8, the Socialists ran one of their own, and she won 52.3% by the first round. The seat representing that sector, in PCF hands since 1936, was lost to the PS in 2007. The FN, who had hoped to be kingmakers in Marseille failed to do so, being left in only one runoff already solid for the PS (Marseille-7). The race, of course, was close, the new council is now 51 UMP, 49 PS, 1 FN. In the grand Marseille, the parties held their ground. In La Ciotat, the UMP won with 53.8% by the first round, the PCF in a very far second. In Aubagne, the PCF incumbent, after receiving the support of the MoDem, fought off tough UMP opposition to win the runoff with 53.2%. In Marignane, held by Daniel Simonpieri (UMP, elected as MNR in 2001), the right-wing majority changed faces, with Simonpieri being defeated by a DVD candidate and a Socialist. The DVD list took over 51% in the runoff. In Bruno Megret’s city of Vitrolles, held by his equally-corrupt wife Catherine until 2002, and then won by the Socialists in a by-election in 2002 (Mrs. Megret’s re-election having been declared invalid), the left held the town. Guy Obino won 61.3% in the runoff. The FN was eliminated by the first round with 9.7%. The left held Martigues, with 57.6% in the first round largely trouncing the right, who had hoped to win the city. In Istres, a DVG list replaced the outgoing DVG mayor. In Arles, the Communist incumbent crushed the right by the first round, taking 57.7% against 18.5% for the UMP. In Salon-de-Provence, a top UMP target, the PS narrowly held the city with 53% in the runoff. In Aix-en-Provence, the UMP incumbent Maryse Joissains-Masini saw her seat threatened. She narrowly passed the first round with 33.8%, the PS taking nearly 30% and a MoDem list led by her former councillor took 20%. A poll saw her defeated in the runoff, but she passed. 44.28% against 42.94% for the PS. The MoDem’s supporter abandoned the MoDem, leaving it with 12.8%. Overall, a bad result for the right, which would’ve been disastrous if they had lost Marseille and/or Aix. But they failed to win in cities where Sarkozy had won, sometimes won big.
Var: Totally locked up for the right, the right held generally good. In Toulon, which had elected a FN (later MNR) mayor in 1995 and booted him out in 2001 by the first round in favour of Hubert Falco (DL, now UMP), the city renewed Falco easily. He won by the first round with 65.2% against 14.1% for the PS. The FN took 6.55% and one seat. A bit closer for the UMP in La Garde, where is nonetheless won 52.4-42.62 by the first round. An Indie took the rest. Division within the right in Hyeres, where the incumbent was standing down, resulted in the election of a DVD mayor with only 34.22% in the runoff, the UMP taking 30.6% and another DVD taking 19.41. Easy re-election for the UMP in Frejus, with 62.7% against 24.81% for the PS and 12.5% for the FN. Same thing in neighboring Saint-Raphael, with 62.9% for the UMP in the first round, the PS and MoDem far behind. After a very narrow gain by the UMP in 2001, the right held Draguignan with 44.13% in the runoff, despite the presence of a DVD dissident list. In Six-Fours-les-Plages, the UMP incumbent held his seat with 53.7% in the first round, the MoDem beating the PS for third place. The only really disputed city in the whole department of the Var, La-Seyne-sur-Mer (in PCF hands until recently) was gained by the PS narrowly: 50.65% against 49.13% for the incumbent. Total PS +1
Vaucluse: After defeating PS star-candidate Elisabeth Guigou in a landslide in 2001, the race in 2008 was much, much closer in Avignon for Marie-Josee Roig. She won with 51.9% overall. In Orange, where the FN mayor Jacques Bompard had won by the first round in 2001, but later switched to the MPF (to possibly play the role of FN-lite), the UMP thought they could defeat him. So they ran a candidate. Who got eaten alive. Only 12.05% against 60.97% for Bompard (superior to his 2001 score in fact). It doesn’t seem like voters in Orange want to return to democracy yet. In Carpentras, the third city of the Vaucluse, division proved fatal to the right, who ran 2 lists in the runoff. The PS got 38.97%, the UMP incumbent took 35.91%. A killer list, DVD, took 17.46% and defeated the right. The FN took 7.65%. In Apt, another gain for the left, taking a whooping 60.8% against the incumbent in the runoff. The right took one city, Pertuis, to cancel out one of the other gains. 47.44% for the UMP, the left taking 35.25%. A DVD list took the rest. Another victory for the right in Bollene, for a gain from the left by the MPF Marie-Claude Bompard, the wife of Jacques. She took 47.95%, taking many votes from the electorate of the official UMP candidate.