FACT OF THE DAY Exclusive poll: Who are Nimes’ favorite politicians?

According to our Opinionway poll, Mayor Jean-Paul Fournier is Nîmes’ favorite politician. Behind him, Franck Proust, president of Nîmes Métropole, achieved an honorable result. On the other hand, disappointment for the first deputy of Nîmes, Julien Plantier, and the elected representatives of the Left, who still have work to appreciate before the next Municipal 2026.

The writingGard goal Create an event! In cooperation with the electoral institute way of thinkingthe popularity of 30 Gard personalities from the political, cultural or sports world was tested with the residents of the department . Respondents answered a simple question: “Which five of the following personalities from Gard do you prefer?” » You can find the full ranking here ObjectifGard, magazine

on newsstands today.

Jean-Paul Fournier was a craftsman in his own house Let us dwell on the number of political staff in Nîmes today. Three years after the next Municipal, training is sweet or bitter, it all depends on where you are! It’s no wonder that the mayor of Nîmes, Jean-Paul Fournier, is Nîmes’ favorite politician. At 76 and with four terms of the hour republic It rises to the 4th position with 21%. This is much better than the Gard scale score of 11%. ” In his commune, Jean-Paul Fournier gains almost 10 points compared to the Gard rating. He somehow overcomes and escapes this phenomenon of political rejection “says the director of the instituteway of thinking

Bruno Jeanbart. Jean-Paul Fournier takes his revenge on the Gardus’ favorite politician: the mayor of Ales, Max Roustan. The latter is also a real surprise in the general classification, three times smaller than Alès Nîmes. However, it should be noted that Sevenol does not deserve it in Nîmes: he ranks 14th, ahead of Nîmes senator Laurent Bourgois. ” We have been in the field since the age of 15… If I have a secret, it is friendship and consistency. “, comments Max Roustan, Monday evening guest of the Objectifgard Club (see video). Jean-Paul Fournier, for his part, their good results ” our presence in the territory. Our election and re-election prove that we are close to the people! We love them!

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Frank Proust, the comeback The second favorite politician in Nîmes is Franck Proust, president of the Nîmes Métropole in 7th place. A lifelong ally of Jean-Paul Fournier republic passing journalist Jean-Jacques Bourden or footballer Renaud Ripart. His legal setbacks obviously haven’t hurt his popularity. Partly as a result of his long political career, Frank Proust started as municipal councilor for Jean Buquet in 1989, became deputy in 1991, then MEP from 2011 to 2019 and president of Nîmes Métropole from 2020. It’s quite an honorable account, even if you have to take it very humbly “, answers Frank Proust,” It’s still nice considering what’s been said about me.

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Julien Plantier can’t take off

On the other hand, on the right, disappointment is on the side of Julien Plantier, first deputy of the city of Nîmes and councilor of the department. The 30-year-old footballer is ranked 19th in both Gard and Nîmes. Even frontrunner Yoann Gillet, a former municipal official and now MP, who was awarded 12th place with 8% of the vote, is ahead of him. There is no doubt that Jean-Paul Fournier’s potential successor still needs to find a way to establish himself and be loved by his constituents. “ This is a fairly classic phenomenon. The personality of the mayor in the communes is quite large. MPs and other elected officials, even with strong delegations, receive little recognition“, the director continuesway of thinking . This analysis is also confirmed in Ales: Christophe Riveng is 14th with only 4%. Questionnaire Opinionway/Objective Gard reminds us that political successions will be far from formal: “ It is often a very subtle and unnatural moment. Although being the first deputy seems like a starting point, it is not enough in terms of recognition and support of public opinion.

», notes Bruno Jeanbart.

The left has (a lot) of work to do! On the left, elected officials can look dim. The former head of the Municipal 2020 list, the communist Vincent Bouget, comes 20th out of 30 places in Nîmes, three small places better than the Gard ranking. Amal Couvreur, who was re-elected in the departmental elections and was the head of the list in the regional elections, took the 21st position. “I’m very humble about it Vincent Bouget answers. Even if they do a good job in politics, it is essentially the mayors who are recognized, not their deputies. And then being known is not enough to be loved. People need to know what you are doing. “The city council, which was elected to the mayor’s office in 2020 and to the department in 2021, notes that,” my lack of recognition did not prevent me from being selected.

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Finally, our survey shows that to be appreciated by Gardois, you either have to be present in the political landscape for years or make your career elsewhere… in Nîmes, considering the opening of the game after the hanging. Outgoing mayors, the 2026 municipal elections will certainly have their share of surprises.

SM

coralie.mollaret@objectivegard.com

* This survey was conducted on a sample of 503 people aged 18 and over representing the population of Gard. The sample was drawn using the quota method, taking into account the criteria of gender, age, socio-professional category and urban area category. Interviews were conducted from October 12 to 17.