The price of freedom is negotiated in the aftermath of the first round

Finally a good news. Winning last Sunday Championship France of karate kata by teams, the Secretary of State for ecology, Chantal Jouanno, head of the list of the UMP in Paris for the regional, showed the way to his mates. It is the hope of the leader of the UMP, the Minister of advanced education and research, Valérie Pécresse, who immediately issued a press release to pay tribute "to his courage, its determination and its collective mind", adding that he is of "qualities that inspire his team in this campaign and are victorious fighting." Which is much better in writing, both the candidate to impose himself, including his own troops.

His election last March at the head of the list UMP, before the leader of the presidential majority in the region, Roger Karoutchi, left traces and had difficulty in forging the energies. To the point that after serious slippages of mates - as Ali Soumaré - case, it was careful to disapprove, the President of the Republic had to make a reminder to the unit of the majority.

"She always wanted to be wary of the elected regional representatives of the UMP and our campaign has ever taken," laments a good connoisseur of the presidential party.

Opening to civil society

Valérie Pécresse was yet able to customize and enhance some of the themes of the great Paris Nicolas Sarkozy's project in to show that it could act without waiting for medium-long term projects. Clever, its strategy is based on the improvement of the existing, there where the outgoing Executive lack of success: do better to operate the trains, expanding the motorways where the right-of-way permit, using public-private partnerships to finance 70,000 units per year...

But, insufficiently worked by his team, his proposals are insufficient, according to recent polls, to destabilize the Socialist Jean-Paul Huchon, outgoing President of the Regional Council and candidate for a third term. Close to Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Martine Aubry, he was able to avoid the attacks of his party, discourage the pretenders to his estate and impose his candidature. At the rally to his list position eligible candidates the MRC, the PRG and the progressive movement of Robert Hue. This opening, which also concerns civil society led him to separate some believers without worry of mortal enemies.

"Our image has changed."

If he could not prevent the Greens list to share, he understand their desire to be counted after their success in the European elections. "Our image has changed from green to Europe ecology, we have won credibility on the economy and transportation," says one of them, welcoming the involvement of their top of the list, Cécile Duflot, in regional files, hoping of 17 to 18 of the vote.

The price of freedom is negotiated in the aftermath of the first round. Obviously, when he declared early January: "I do sacrifierai not on my lists of someone who has supported me in the first round", Jean-Paul Huchon meant not the Greens, who came to vote the budget for 2010 in the region. The situation will be perhaps more delicate for lists of Pierre Laurent (left Front), Alain Dolium (Modem) or Olivier Besancenot (new anticapitalist party), which appear to be struggling to mobilize their traditional voters.

Suspicious of polls that predict him Royal re-election, Jean-Paul Huchon camp seems to rely on 26 to 28 of the vote in the first round. Except for coup de theatre, Valérie Pécresse will before him, but do not be to the full of the 32 of votes which is generally credited the right, even if the national Front is not guaranteed to find the 12 of Marine Le Pen votes in 2004.

The reserve of votes left to Paris, in the second round, Jean-Paul Huchon is virtually assured to re-establish a majority with the Greens for a term reduced to four years ahead rich in achievements. Those who today forward footprint campaign knows that major transport projects launched during his last term - extension of line 8 of the Metro, trams, Tangentielle Nord - will finally see the day.

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