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Many observers are saying that the Left
is experiencing a resurgence. But this election isn't really about
"Right" and "Left." It's about what Parisians
want from their local government -- clean government and attention
to day-to-day concerns of city residents.
Accusations of electoral fraud, and a series
of legal problems and political and financial scandals in which
members of the Right were prominent have severely hurt. But the
biggest threat to the strength of the Chirac-ist Parisian Right
(represented by the candidate of the RPR) is a fratricidal conflict
within the ranks.
The RPR's official candidate for mayor
is Philippe Séguin. However, Jean Tiberi, the current mayor
of Paris, is making a dissident run for re-election on his own.
Many key members of the French Right have tried to convince him
to withdraw from the race, but to no avail. Even as his hardcore
supporters -- overwhelmingly the elderly, small businessmen and
city bureaucrats -- are dwindling, he remains committed to continuing
the race.
Many Séguin supporters accuse Tiberi
of "playing the martyr" at the cost of letting the Left
into the mayor's office. Meanwhile they try to rally their own ranks
to give a much needed boost to Séguin 's campaign.
They are fighting an uphill battle. Recent
surveys all show a massive hostiility to the Right on several levels.
Many Parisians are just plain "fed up" with the Right.
They see the Right as creating an environment within the municipal
government that is opaque and uncontrolled, centralized, authoratarian,
and above all, clannish.
Add to that the appeal of the Left's candidate
Bertrand Delanoe, who has not veered from his platform of "concern
for Parisians," and the Right is in an almost hopeless position
because Parisians today want a mayor who will be focused on Paris
rather than on higher political ambitions.
Understanding the Issue:
How Voting Works in Paris
The Candidates
The People and the
Issues
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