Jean-Claude Antonini, former Angers mayor, settles accounts

L'ancien maire d'Angers règle ses comptes. - La défaite de la gauche aux dernières élections municipales n'est visiblement pas encore digérée, encore moins analysée et ne sera vraisemblablement pas surmontée avant longtemps. Pour Jean-Claude Antonini, ancien maire socialiste d'Angers, l'heure est pour l'instant aux explications. Certains hommes de gauche en prennent pour leur grade. Depuis sa défaite, la gauche angevine n'a pas encore quitté le stade de l'émotion pour celui de l'analyse.

Jean-Claude Antonini

The defeat of the Angers left at the last municipal elections is far from to be analysed and to be swallowed by its former represen-tatives. But the recons-truction of the city left forces is something unthinkable now, and for a while. Those can be some of the feelings expressed by a interview Jean-Claude Antonini, former mayor, gave to the daily Ouest-France. On a political standpoint, the defeat of the left forces at the 2014 municipal ballots has been lived as "a slap" [gifle], reminds Mr. Antonini  : "Yes, that defeat is unfortunate, but do not analyse it under the influence of emotion".

Frédéric Béatse

The main actors, within the Angers left, of that outcome, Frédéric Béatse, Jean-Claude Antonini's heir and Jean-Luc Rotureau, former deputy-mayor of these, are differently considered... Regarding Mr. Béatse, the former Angers mayor indicates (was it his part to tell that?) "he is very affected by that defeat. Will he resurface one day? In politics, there is never death, except the physical death", warns Jean-Claude Antonini, former general practitioner. His opinion is much more entrenched [catégorique] regarding Mr. Rotureau whose involvement in the ballots weakened Mr. Béatse's chances : "I do not know anymore that man.I do not know who he is. For me he doesn't exist anymore", sends Mr. Antonini who rubs in it [enfonce le clou] : "That said, I think he was not the cause of the defeat, but he certainly contributed to the final gap [between Frédéric Béatse and Christophe Béchu]".

Grégory Blanc

Other characters of that political tragedy for the left are not spared by Jean-Claude Antonini : André Despagnet, his former deputy-mayor in charge of finances who criticized the level of Angers city investments, and Grégory Blanc, the current Maine-et-Loire delegate of the socialist party, Mr. Antonini blames for his lack of support to Frédéric Béatse's candidacy. After he resigned from the Angers mayor office in 2012, Mr. Antonini left the presidency of Angers Loire Métropole, now entrusted to Christophe Béchu. That one said in his inaugural speech as president of Alm he will, in spite of political differencies, solicit the experience of his predecessor.