Gilles Simeoni’s main opponent, Laurent Marcangeli leads a list for the territorial elections for the first time. Unlike his rival, the mayor of Ajaccio did not immerse himself in family politics and made his way “in a form of adversity”.
« I don’t agree with the politician, nor with his right-wing friends, but in any case Laurent Marcangeli has prepared for the battle of the territorials and is ready to go there. “The quote does not come from a support from the mayor of Ajaccio but from Etienne Bastelica, opposition city councilor and 23rd on Michel Stefani’s “Campà mellure in Corsica” list.
The sentence of the communist elected says a lot about the one who has taken the lead of the right on the island and who leads the “Un soffiu novu” list for the electoral deadline of 20 and 27 June. An election in which Laurent Marcangeli should be – barring major surprises – the opponent of Gilles Simeoni (and perhaps of the united nationalists?) in the second round of these Regionals.
Credited with 23% of voting intentions in our recent poll – 2 points from Gilles Simeoni – this film buff, however, prefers fact to fiction. Especially when it comes to politics: you know, the polls have never given me a winner. There are examples of municipal elections in Ajaccio that are quite spectacularshe told us on camera midweek before adding: that said, this poll reveals one thing I knew, and that is that I am the only alternative to Gilles Simeoni. »
1995, the click
Municipal, cantonal, legislative… At 40, Laurent Marcangeli has already fought many electoral battles. Often in the role of the challenger, he managed more than once to thwart the polls that gave him loser. For his first participation in the Territoriales as leaders, he will have to juggle his mayoral cap and that of running for president of the island’s executive. A balance that is not always easy to find. Unlike some of his opponents who point to his “Ajaccianism”, he does not want to see any handicap in his tricolor scarf: ” for me it is not a straitjacket. I am who I am. I am a son of Ajaccio but I know Corsica. I was an MP for 5 years from very rural areas. People know that I know the stakes. »
Also in Cruzzini, in Rezza, his father’s town, he officially announced his candidacy for the regionals last March. ” Like many courses, I am tied to my rural roots “, he claims. ” Luckily, he remembered that he had a village “, some of his detractors scoff.
I joined RPR when I was just 16 years old.
It was neither in the village nor with his family that Laurent Marcangeli developed a passion for politics. Son of a father who wasn’t too interested » and a mother « trade unionist at STC “, the teenager who is then fascinated by the 1995 presidential campaign. “ In adolescence, we always look for ourselves a littlehe admits calmly. One evening, in front of the TV, Jacques Chirac was invited to France 3. The somewhat betrayed team, lived but given loser, who spoke to me. I got into man and then RPR when I was just 16 years old. »
Coming home from college…
This political awareness was also born from heated debates with a leftist friend on the way from university to home. ” At 15 she was already very involved in politics, while Laurent was not at allrecalls the lawyer Paolo Sollacaro, best friend of the mayor of Ajaccio and direct witness of these daily discussions between the two university students. Since he had many references, he had difficulty bringing her the cross-examination. She annoyed him a little. Then he became interested in Jacques Chirac, Lionel Jospin and the presidential campaign. Since his choice of him had almost instinctively fallen on Jacques Chirac, he read everything he could about the RPR, Gaullism. Gradually, she brought him a real contradiction, he supported him. Hence his passion for politics was born.. »
The mayor of Ajaccio confirms: Since my friend in question was more experienced than me and I’m a rather stubborn person, I started reading a lot. Suddenly, afterwards, he couldn’t “hold” me anymore. It was nice, it’s mutual. And then I won, because she was for Jospin and I was for Chirac. »
A meteoric rise
He entered politics in 2000 on a union list led by Marc Marcangeli, he made his first coup in 2008, after a defeat: at the end of the municipal elections in Ajaccio, he was 27 when he became a municipal councilor in the opposition at one time in which the Ajaccian right was weakened. ” This first term has really allowed me to position myself in an institution and make a name for myself. There I scrapped against a politically very strong mayor. »
After defeat, victories come very quickly. First that of the Cantonales of 2011, then that of the Legislative of 2012 where he beat Simon Renucci, his rival from whom he also took the town hall of Ajaccio in 2014 and then in 2015 during a by-election that remained in the memories. Last year he will be re-elected to the seat again, in the first round (!).
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At the National Assembly, where he became a deputy for the 1st constituency of Corse-du-Sud at the age of 31, the lawyer by training made contacts and created links with personalities, including Edouard Philippe. Despite the weight of the Republic’s gold, it is not to the Bourbon Palace that conveys his passion. “ Strangely, it’s more the mandate of mayor and the presidency of the inter-communal on the one hand, as well as fatherhood on the other that made me evolve. I calmed down because I’m quite a fiery person. I am passionate»
A passion, but also a frankness and a certain aggressiveness that were sometimes reproached, with some lyrical flights remaining famous. Like when he quoted Édouard Herriot to reply to Nathalie Ruggeri (then his second assistant) in an interview given to Corse-Matin in November 2019: “Politics must smell of shit, of andouillette, but not too much.”
Most recently, at the end of February, it was with a gloomy look that he sent a ” you are not the center of the world » to Maria Antonietta Santoni-Brunelli, her support to which she had then withdrawn her delegations to the Community of Agglomeration of the Country of Ajaccio (Capa). The verbal dispute concerned the new modalities of resident status implemented by Air Corsica.
The fear of disturbing
« As for his character, he knows where he wants to go and does everything to get there, Etienne Bastelica confides. It has been said of him that he was brutal and fragile, you may like it or dislike it but in any case he knows where he’s going. He drives his boat. And at the level of work in the city council the opposition is expressed. The democratic debate is still ongoing. »
Another image that sometimes sticks to the skin of this football fan, that of a somewhat cold man. ” It is actually very warm, with a lot of heart nuance I am ami Paolo Sollacaro. It may seem surprising, but there is a form of reserve in him, perhaps even a little shyness. This can be mistakenly perceived as a form of coldness and rigidity. He’s very modest. He is affectionate and affectionate. It’s a shame because I find that he is not seen as he really is. »
« In the countryside he likes to approach people and shake hands, but is often afraid to disturb them when they are in a bar or restaurant. “adds Yoann Habani, fellow traveler since the 2000s and Capa’s chief of staff.
“Chiraquian gesture”
Behind this shyness hides a strong character. ” don’t let go, continues Yoann Habani. It has a guideline. He is a man of the right, who has convictions, fundamentals and solid foundations. He is not an heir. He doesn’t come from a family with a father, uncle or grandfather who was in politics. »
A situation that somehow forced him to find his place. ” I’ve always been in a form of adversity, recognizes Laurent Marcangeli. Sometimes I was too harsh. We are also in a region where characters are hardened. Also, my opponents are not left out when it comes to being in a form of passion. After that, I think pretty quickly people recognized some form of ability in me. »
Young, he was nicknamed “the mayor”
« Over time he has also been able to channel a certain nervousnessnotes Paolo Sollacaro. But a somewhat “Chiraquian” nervousness, which in its gestures recalls that of Chirac. Especially in stressful situations, such as before a debate or a speech in front of an audience. I think he’s been able to tame that aspect to make it an advantage, a strength. »
As for observers of island politics, many recognize a certain ease in the stands. Undoubtedly his training as a lawyer, but also his passion ” encyclopedic for History and its ability to remember dates and events. ” I haven’t been diagnosed but I’m a bit hypermnesiac “, admits the interested party. ” Laurent can summon the minister of that government on that dateemphasizes, admired, Paolo Sollacaro. He read a lot. He is really passionate about politics. Indeed, he is a politician with a passion for politics. When he was young, he was nicknamed “the mayor”.. Whether he will soon be called “president” remains to be seen…
