The atmosphere was already very tense between the two former collaborators of the historic mayor, Jean-Claude Guibal, the war is now clearly declared. Sandra Paire refused to participate in a debate Wednesday evening on France 3 Côte d’Azur with Yves Juhel. She says she has initiated legal proceedings against her opponent. The two lists led by Jean-Claude Guibal’s former deputies came out on top (“Menton pour tous”, Yves Juhel, 35.23% and “Unis pour Menton”, Sandra Paire, 33.01%) with two points. gap, last Sunday, in the first round of the Menton municipal election. Anthony Malvault who carries the third list in attendance, various right candidate, supported by the National Rally, did not agree to debate either.
The war between the heirs of Guibal
The two candidates who came first in the first round accuse each other of plagiarism concerning their programs, even if Yves Juhel poses as a destroyer of the system. “I was Jean-Claude Guibal’s town planning assistant, but I did not collaborate in any system, I do not accept that decisions concerning positions, beach concessions or others are taken in the mayor’s office. I denounce the clan system that Jean-Claude Guibal ended up establishing“Yves Juhel, elected mayor on November 9 with one vote, still does not understand the resignation of Sandra Paire and about twenty municipal councilors in his wake, when they could have sat in the opposition.”We impose a new election on the people of Menton, which has a cost, in the middle of the lemon festival, in the middle of a health crisis” he regrets. Yves Juhel would have liked to debate with Sandra Paire “who shows a denial of democracy by not agreeing to present his program during a debate, to exchange ideas, to confront points of view“.
Sandra Paire explained in a Facebook post this Wednesday why she didn’t want to argue with his adversary”without faith or law”. She considers that she cannot discuss with Yves Juhel, “who she doesn’t trust“. Contacted by France Bleu Azur, the former first assistant in 2020 announces that she has launched legal proceedings against Yves Juhel for defamation.
Sandra Paire believes in victory in the second round: “I am a fighter, 240 votes difference in the first round is very little, I campaign with traders and on social networks. I have nothing to do with Mr. Juhel who was elected in November with votes from the RN nor with Mr. Malvault, parachuted into Menton and supported for this election by the RN.”
As for Anthony Malvaultthe one who studied in Menton considers to be “the only option“facing candidates who have”ruled together for several years, part of a clan regime“. He approach the second round calmly“the dynamic is for us” he claims. With 18.5% of the votes collected in the first round, he has not negotiated alliances and wishes to have municipal councilors elected on Sunday from his “Menton with you” list.
Environmentalists condition their possible voting instructions
The list “Réconcilions Menton” which obtained 9.33% of the votes in the 1st round of the municipal election, carried by the ecologist Stéphanie Loisy, asks the candidates who remain in the second round “to denounce irregularities concerning the first round, such as unsealed ballot boxes before the close of the poll“. Stéphanie Loisy puts forward a “deleterious climate, with pressure, intimidation on candidates“. She further invites candidates to “to clarify current or past cases, by making public all files or municipal decisions and by stopping any clan, family or clientelist operation”. Without this commitment for the second round, “no voting instructions will be given” voters who voted for “Reconcile Menton”.