It is a stone's throw from the Pantheon, in a cafe where she has her habits, that Agnès Buzyn gave an appointment to the Parisian - Today in France for her first interview with candidate for mayor of Paris. Immediately, the former Minister of Health posed as a rallyer to turn the page on the Griveaux case. But one month before the deadline, the challenge remains immense.
ENTERING THE CAMPAIGN
You left the Ministry of Health in tears on Monday. Is it so painful to be a candidate for mayor of Paris?
AGNÈS BUZYN. I had to make my decision to be a candidate within 24 hours. It's normal to be emotional when you leave people you love. Starting from a ministry in which we have been fully engaged, which corresponds to what I am as a woman, as a former doctor, this forced me to evolve in a very short time. That doesn't take anything away from my desire to exercise the mandate of mayor. It is the most beautiful mandate.
Emmanuel Macron asked you for it or imposed it on you?
He told me about it, but he didn't have to do it long, because for me it was obvious. He was not the only one to ask me. Many people have called me, from the field to personalities.
But on Friday, on the radio, you said that you could not be a candidate in Paris…
At that time, Benjamin Griveaux had not announced that he was retiring. There, it is quite another thing: I am offered to be the candidate for mayor of Paris. My commitment is total, that's why I resigned from my post as minister.
Was it reasonable to leave this ministry in a time of crisis?
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This crisis of the coronavirus, I see it coming since the beginning of January and I had everything prepared to face it. And in a health crisis with an epidemic, the role of mayors is also very important. If such a scenario occurs in Paris, I will manage it.
You say that we cannot be a candidate for mayor of Paris and a minister. Yet Edouard Philippe himself did not resign from Matignon…
You can't compare. Edouard Philippe, like Gérald Darmanin or Franck Riester, have been mayors for years: they know their town hall by heart. Me, I know Paris perfectly, but I need to be 200% to finalize the program and to make myself known to Parisians.
It's your first campaign. Aren't you afraid of being hit? We have seen that it can be violent ...
When you are in politics, if you are afraid of taking a beating, you should not commit. The mandate of mayor of Paris is well worth taking some risks. There will be no low blow on my part, never anything personal against my opponents.
Have you been thinking about this candidacy project for a long time?
I think I've always dreamed of it, but my minister's agenda forced me to complete important reforms. And then, from the moment that Benjamin Griveaux had positioned himself, it became complicated. Then fate reached out to me and I took it.
Others have positioned themselves to carry this candidacy. Why you more than another?
Because I was born in Paris, I studied there, raised my children there, and worked there. I feel this city 100%. I am deeply Parisian. But I saw this city deteriorate. I find that Paris has been roughed up in recent years. The locals were not respected enough, I felt a certain brutality. And I think I can bring a form of calm and gathering. What is lacking today in Paris is the quality of life. This will be the heart of my project.
You only have four weeks to campaign. Kamikaze mission?
It's a wonderful challenge and I love challenges.
So is it possible?
Of course it is possible. I feel a form of relief in Parisians who find a soothing person in the image I send back.
HIS STYLE, STRATEGY
You mean that your profile is more unifying than that of Benjamin Griveaux?
Benjamin Griveaux worked a lot on the project. I owe him for having done an extraordinary fieldwork to collect the needs. So I have a base. I will bring him my sensitivity, my vision, my ideas.
In which arrondissement will you show up?
I did not make a decision today. There are several options.
You are a candidate for the presidential party, and you were carrying contested reforms, notably pensions. Are you not afraid of being heckled during your outings?
I have hardly been heckled in my life as a minister. Even during crises, I have never felt aggressive towards me. Since I am a candidate, people stop me in the street to encourage me: Go ahead! We will vote for you. The people are very kind. Earlier, a taxi driver kissed me to say: Finally, I know who to vote for. It touched me, it was wonderful.
VIDEO. Agnès Buzyn in the streets of Paris: “We're all behind you! "
You will go everywhere in Paris?
I will go everywhere. Nothing in life scares me.
How will the Buzyn campaign be different from that of Benjamin Griveaux?
She will necessarily be in my image. I like to convince.
With which candidates does the meeting, which is essential to reach the capital, seem the most natural to you?
Today I don't want to think about partisan tactics or alliances. My ambition is to present a membership project to all those who want to join us. My hand is outstretched: I called a lot of people on Monday. My two competitors, Anne Hidalgo and Rachida Dati, each with their styles, are much more in confrontation than me. More divisive. I am able to propose a project that stops opposing each other. My trademark is to appease, to unite and to make people join. I showed it to the National Assembly on texts where I managed to reach consensus, with the parties of the right or the left, including the Communist party.
What conclusions do you draw from these six years of Anne Hidalgo at the town hall?
We are witnessing a slow deterioration in the quality of life. Anne Hidalgo was only interested in part of the Parisians. This is precisely what I will avoid. We must take care of everyone, people who work, who raise children, people who are alone, elderly or disabled, people who are rich or poor ...
You draw a rather negative assessment of the mandate of Anne Hidalgo. Who did you vote for in 2014?
I voted for Anne Hidalgo. I thought it would be a continuation of Bertrand Delanoë. That was not the case.
Who is your model mayor of Paris?
I enjoyed Chirac. I voted for Delanoë, which is my model of appeasement, of sensitivity. Each in their style, they treated Paris well.
You had Cédric Villani on the phone on Monday. Is it possible to get closer to him before the 1st round?
I called a lot of people on Monday, including Cédric Villani. He is the only one to have mentioned it. There is no tension between us, we appreciate each other, we respect each other.
To get closer to you, he formulated requirements, like taking up his proposals on the ecology or the enlargement of Paris. What do you think ?
I extended my hand to him. But he laid down strict conditions: that's not how I work. I am not in the balance of power. And there he posed a balance of power…
Do you plan to remember in the coming days?
No, it is not planned.
HIS PROGRAM
How to print your brand on a program designed by your predecessor?
First, it is a collective program and I am obviously anxious to respect this field work. The base is magnificent. Now that I have to wear it, I'm going to put my vision, my ambition, my ideas in it. I need to be completely convinced by all the measures I wear. So there will be mandatory adjustments.
Are you going to drop some points?
I met with the heads of lists of all the boroughs on Monday and questioned them on a certain number of measures which have aroused a particular membership or non-membership. My feeling is that Paris does not need major work. The urgency is to restore the quality of daily life in Paris.
So you confirm that moving the Gare de l'Est, as Benjamin Griveaux proposed, is not a priority?
No, it is not a priority.
What are your priorities then?
I will present my finalized program at the end of the week.
Is it possible to campaign in Paris without a program less than a month before the election?
Give me another 48 hours to adjust! Honestly, I'm not sure that Parisians know the programs of all the candidates. I think they will look into it a week or two before the election. I am completely on schedule. In reality, municipal campaigns are very short.
Are you right or left?
I am and from the right, and from the left. Like the President of the Republic, I know how to make people of all stripes work on an ambitious project.
THE GRIVEAUX EARTHQUAKE
Have you heard from Benjamin Griveaux? Have you spoken to him and how is he?
He is brave, he is in a legal battle. I got it on the phone obviously. He supports me.
Won't it be difficult for you to campaign after this cataclysm?
It is very difficult because all the people who campaigned felt that their wings were cut in mid-flight. But I'm so different from Benjamin Griveaux that it's another campaign that is starting. Somehow, it's simpler than if I were his doppelganger.
Do you think that Benjamin Griveaux made a mistake?
I only think of one thing: winning Paris.