Ensemble Montréal is preparing for the electoral battle for Montreal mayor in 2025, but it will first need to find a leader. During a congress held on Saturday, the opposition party at city hall adopted new rules to govern the leadership race, breaking with the ways of doing things in force at the time. by Denis Coderre.
“We don’t want a coronation without there being a debate of ideas,” says the interim leader of Ensemble Montréal, Aref Salem. “It is the members who will be at the heart of the decisions. »
The constitution ratified by the members of the party will bring important changes to the organization and will impose precise procedures in the operation of the training and the leadership race.
“There is a before-2021 and a post-2021,” says Aref Salem. Before, there were no well-established, clear and transparent rules. »
From now on, he explains, it is the members of the party who will have to decide on the choice of the future leader. For their part, candidates for this position will have to comply with the planned procedures and convince members that they are best placed to lead the party. “There is no longer anyone who will be able to come to Ensemble Montréal and only the elected officials decide,” indicates Mr. Salem. “There will be debates of ideas. […] The next campaign will not be around one person. We don’t want a “savior”. »
The party also chose the new members who make up its management committee, which will no longer have elected officials.
Details of the leadership race will be finalized next fall, and the race is expected to be launched in the following months.
Financial discipline
Aref Salem argues that the discontent against Mayor Valérie Plante is creating enthusiasm for Ensemble Montréal. ” The phone is ringing. There are people who are interested in introducing themselves. What is important for us is to choose the best person who will guide us to victory. »
The party will also have to redress its financial situation. When he left the team after his defeat in 2021, Denis Coderre left behind a party in debt. At the end of this electoral race, Ensemble Montréal’s debt had reached $481,600. However, the party managed to reduce it to $347,400 last year. He intends to pay off this debt between now and the electoral campaign and establish financial discipline in order to prevent the 2021 scenario from repeating itself.
Mr. Salem cites the election campaign for mayor of Sainte-Geneviève–L’Île-Bizard last December. It was managed cautiously, but allowed the party’s candidate, Doug Hurley, to win with an overwhelming majority, he said.
Aref Salem is not closing the door on the idea of running for leadership of the party he has led on an interim basis since the departure of Denis Coderre. “I haven’t made a decision yet. »
Several names of potential candidates for mayor of Montreal have circulated in recent months, including those of the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Michel Leblanc, and the former Liberal leader Dominique Anglade.