gironde

Suffering from several cancers, the elected socialist remains mayor of Mérignac but gives up his duties as president of the metropolis. The environmentalist mayor of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic, will act as interim mayor until March 15.

Le Figaro Bordeaux

It was an open secret. Alain Anziani, president of Bordeaux Métropole and socialist mayor of Mérignac, the second most populous commune in the agglomeration after Bordeaux, has been fighting the disease for a long time. In an interview with South West the elected official announced this Monday that he was leaving the presidency of the metropolis, no longer having the “possibility” physically to be able to continue to carry out their functions in good conditions.

Alain Anziani suffers from two cancers, Parkinson’s disease and was recently hospitalized for a long time for an infection. He was president of Bordeaux Métropole since 2020 and previously regional councilor (from 1992 to 2010), senator (from 2008 to 2017). He was elected mayor of Mérignac in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. He will also retain his position as mayor of the commune and elected metropolitan official, despite his state of health, but will not stand for re-election in the 2026 municipal elections. two years before this important deadline, his departure reshuffles the cards at the head of the metropolis.

Political reactions

As soon as the announcement of his resignation was made public, as well as that of his state of health, many elected officials spoke out. “Thank you Alain for your commitment and tenacity”reacted Pierre Hurmic, the environmentalist mayor of Bordeaux. “Our relationship of trust allowed us to calmly approach this premature departure from the presidency of Bordeaux Métropole”underlines the city councilor, for whom “the transition of our metropolitan territory continues in the same state of mind and shared voluntarism”. The mayor of Bègles, Clément Rossignol Puech, welcomes a “courageous decision”.

However, laudatory comments about the former president of the metropolis are not just the prerogative of the left. “It is a courageous decision and one marked with great dignity”explains Nicolas Florian, former mayor (Les Républicains) of Bordeaux. “Although not belonging to the same political family, I enjoyed working with Alain Anziani on the development of our metropolis”adds the opposition elected official, welcoming “his great qualities of balance and dialogue”. Thomas Cazenave, Minister Delegate for Public Accounts and opposition elected official in Bordeaux, “expresses all its solidarity” et “thanks” Alain Anziani for “the quality of their relationships”.

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Who to succeed him?

Again, this is no surprise. Alain Anziani explains to South West it is “see a person” : for several months, the name of Christine Bost, socialist mayor of Eysines since 2008, has been regularly mentioned. “She has a lot of qualities”, explains the former president of the agglomeration. If elected, she would become the first woman to lead the metropolis. “We cannot say that women must exercise major responsibilities in local authorities and deprive ourselves of them when possible: she has all the skills, she is ready, we must take advantage of this opportunity. To oppose it would be a major political error.explains Alain Anziani to our colleagues, in some way dwarfing the possible ambitions of the mayor of Bordeaux.

The choice of Alain Anziani’s successor, however, responds to both political and arithmetic logic. Of the 104 metropolitan elected officials, 31 are socialists and 31 are ecologists. The right and center group holds 33 seats. No party can therefore obtain a majority without allying with another. In 2020, an agreement was reached between environmentalists and socialists, with Pierre Hurmic as first vice-president. If this agreement is renewed, the socialists should retain leadership of the community. The ecologists could try to recover it, but the party with the rose could then ally itself with the right, upsetting the established political balance. Two years before the municipal elections, it’s a risky bet.

“We must not skip steps”explains Pierre Hurmic, questioned on this subject on the sidelines of a press conference in Bordeaux this Monday. “The debate of the day is not that of succession”recalls the councilor, for whom “all options are good”. According to him, the important thing is that there is no “no primary” within the current majority, in order not to offer “the sad spectacle of a disunited majority”and that only one person comes forward on March 15 to take over from Alain Anziani, whether it is Christine Bost or not.

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The timetable until the election

Alain Anziani announced that he would submit his resignation to the prefect of Gironde, Étienne Guyot, this Monday March 4. The interim as well as the management of current affairs will be ensured by the ecologist Pierre Hurmic, in his capacity as first vice-president of the metropolis, and in liaison with the general director of services. A metropolitan council will be convened, within fifteen days after the validation of Alain Anziani’s resignation by the prefecture. The vote to appoint his successor should take place first on Friday March 15. The suspense should therefore be short-lived.

The political consequences

About two years before the next municipal elections, the resignation of Alain Anziani and the appointment of his successor are not trivial choices. Although Bordeaux is the largest city in the conurbation, the metropolis has several skills, particularly in terms of transport, housing, waste collection and management. If the agreement between environmentalists and socialists is renewed, it is the assurance for the city of Bordeaux that it will be able to continue to develop its projects by working in good harmony with the metropolis. If Pierre Hurmic manages to be elected president of the metropolis, he will however strengthen his position. Alain Juppé, former mayor of Bordeaux, served at the same time as mayor and president of the metropolis, from 1995 to 2004 and from 2014 to 2019, two periods when major developments were carried out in Bordeaux.

2024-03-04 18:07:31
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