Christian Estrosi: "We will cross the finish line in the lead"

Victory seems assured.

To hear Christian Estrosi, guest on the set of "Talk Le Figaro", Renaud Muselier should emerge a winner in the regional election scheduled for June 20 and 27 in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The latest polls, however, announce an apparent advantage for the candidate of the National Rally, Thierry Mariani.

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"

Six years ago, I won this region of strong struggle against Marion Maréchal-Le Pen

", first recalled the aedile ex-Republicans.

Returned mayor of Nice in 2017 after the attack of July 14, 2016, Christian Estrosi welcomed the

"great record"

of his successor LR, Renaud Muselier.

"Not to commit myself to Renaud Muselier's side, it would be to give the feeling that I am ashamed of this record (...) or to take the risk that we lose this region"

, he continued.

A difficult victory

A new Ifop-Fiducial survey carried out for

Le Figaro

and LCI (

see opposite

), however, suggests a difficult victory for the LR candidate. But Christian Estrosi is tenacious:

“I am convinced that if we are in second position in the competition, we will pass the finish line in the lead.” “The more the days go by, the more there is an awareness that the community regional, it's not security at all, it's not illegal immigration at all

, ”he added. Without failing to reproach Thierry Mariani, when the latter was Minister of Transport in 2010, for having

"done nothing for the region"

.

Deemed too close to Emmanuel Macron, Christian Estrosi retorts that he simply has "respect for the Head of State" - Watch on Figaro Live

Beyond the regional deadline, Christian Estrosi also spoke about the presidential election of 2022 for which the right does not yet have a candidate. For the councilor, no question of having recourse to a primary.

"You can imagine today, with the offer we have, where it could lead us

," he quipped.

"Let's stop being ridiculous."

Suspected of getting closer to Emmanuel Macron since his departure from the Republicans, Christian Estrosi stressed his

"distancing"

from

"the political parties"

.

"I do not find much interest in his party,"

said the elected official about La République en Marche. Before qualifying:

“Today I have respect for the Head of State, and I have even more since he received a slap that shows how much we are all threatened by all those who maintain a violence that leads to such gestures. "

For the moment, Christian Estrosi believes, however, that he is

"accountable"

to

"voters"

.

"They are my bosses"

, insisted the former LR who also calls for more

"decentralization"

.

"The future is not the presidential election,"

he assured.

"What interests me today is what we have just experienced for a year and a half, where local communities, and mainly those managed by the right and the center, have shown that we were able to compensate for this. that the State did not know how to do, ”

assured the mayor. Vaccination campaign, health management… Christian Estrosi therefore sees the future rather in

"the territories"

. And in his city, where the elected representative pleads to be given “

clearly

” “

the keys to security

”.