The senatorial elections in Paris, next September, whet the appetites at Europe Écologie Les Verts (EELV). A party figure has already declared himself a candidate in our columns: the MEP and former green presidential candidate, Yannick Jadot. Then Frédéric Hocquard, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of tourism and nightlife, labeled Generation. s, has also applied. According to our information, a third man is in the ranks: Jean-Baptiste Pegeon, current EELV regional councilor for Île-de-France.
The latter made his application letter known internally on Thursday. “Next September, we will renew half of the seats in the Senate. This election is a huge opportunity for environmentalists to strengthen our group (…) This is what I want to bring to you today by presenting my candidacy to represent you in the Senate, ”he wrote. But places are particularly expensive. Clearly, in Paris, “2 to 3 places” are available for ecologists, according to the calculations of different executives. The first place, normally acquired, the head of the list, will be awarded to a woman. Antoinette Guhl, counselor in Paris, and Anne Souyris, assistant in Paris, have already made their intentions known.
“Yannick Jadot is not unanimous”
Remains for the male candidates a single place almost certain to be won. “Three male candidates for a male place”, sums up a Parisian ecologist. And a risk for Yannick Jadot not to appear on the list?
“Pegeon’s candidacy shows that Yannick Jadot is not unanimous. As a reminder, he was one of his very close friends during the presidential election. It is not an interpersonal question but a question of fundamental political divergence: Yannick considers that it is necessary to defend an ecology of government and on the other side, Jean-Baptiste defends an ecological movement fully committed to the left. Yannick’s recent outings on retirement at 62 also pose a problem ” deciphers the same.
In his letter, Jean-Baptiste Pegeon asserts himself as a support of Nupes, which Jadot has always decried in its current form and under the patronage of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “The success of the Nupes rally and its common program, which allowed us to return to the National Assembly, is a political milestone after a presidential campaign where environmentalist and leftist forces were divided and weak. We must continue to support and bring this gathering to life as an alternative force, with a major challenge for us environmentalists: to make our voice and the singularity of our vision better heard, ”wrote the regional councilor.
“It took 15 years for it to exist politically…”
Potential candidates have until March 12 to make themselves known and many were anticipating a statement from David Belliard, another influential green deputy for the town hall of Paris. He has not declared himself a candidate to date. “I am in favor of Jadot being a senator: it would be stupid to deprive yourself of it. It took 15 years for it to exist politically and it’s good to strengthen our team there. David he is a transport assistant in Paris, there are lots of things to do, ”slices David Cormand, former boss of EELV still on the job.
The suitors will first have to go through an indicative consultation of the EELV members of the department in April. “Then, from the declarations of candidacies and the negotiations, the permanent electoral commission will develop a scenario which will be submitted to the vote of the Federal Council. (party parliament) in May,” explains Olivier Bertrand, member of the EELV executive office in charge of relations with Nupes and elected officials. “The management will decide mainly according to the balance of motions, Jadot has 20% of the votes at the national level”, recalls all the same an ecologist.