Main opponent of Gilles Simeoni, Laurent Marcangeli leads for the first time a list for the territorial election. Unlike his rival, the mayor of Ajaccio did not bathe in family politics and made his way “in a form of adversity”.
« I do not agree with the politician, nor with his friends on the right, but in any case, Laurent Marcangeli has prepared for the battle of the territorials and he is ready to go there. “The quote does not come from a support from the mayor of Ajaccio but from Etienne Bastelica, municipal councilor in the opposition and 23rd on Michel Stefani’s list “Campà mellure in Corsica”.
The sentence of the elected communist says a lot about the one who took the leadership of the island right and who leads the list “Un soffiu novu” for the electoral deadline of June 20 and 27. An election where Laurent Marcangeli should be – unless there is a big surprise – the opponent of Gilles Simeoni (and perhaps united nationalists?) in the second round of these Regionals.
Credited with 23% of voting intention in our recent survey – 2 points from Gilles Simeoni -, this film enthusiast, however, prefers reality to fiction. Especially when it comes to politics: you know, the polls never gave me a winner. There are examples on the municipal elections of Ajaccio which are quite spectacularhe told us in front of the camera in the middle of the week before adding: that being said, this survey reveals something that 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 a lot of electoral battles. Often in the costume of the challenger, he managed more than once to thwart the opinion polls which gave him the loser. For his first participation in the Territoriales as head of the list, he will have to juggle between his cap as mayor and that of applying for the presidency of the island 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 in his tricolor scarf any handicap: ” for me, it’s not a straitjacket. I am what I am. I am a child of Ajaccio but I know Corsica. I was a deputy for 5 years from very rural areas. People know I know the stakes. »
It was also in Cruzzini, in Rezza, his father’s village, that he officially announced his candidacy for the regionals last March. ” Like many Corsicans, I am attached to my rural roots “, he asserts. ” As luck would have it, he remembered he had a village “, taunt some of his detractors.
I joined the RPR when I was only 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 the STC “, the teenager that he is then is captivated by the presidential campaign of 1995. “ In adolescence, we always look for ourselves a littlehe admits in a calm tone. One evening, in front of the TV, Jacques Chirac was invited on France 3. The side a little betrayed, experienced but given the loser, that spoke to me. I joined the man and then the RPR when I was only 16. »
Coming home from college…
This political awareness was also born out of heated debates with a friend on the left on the way between college and home. ” At 15, she was already very involved in politics, while Laurent was not at allremembers the lawyer Paul Sollacaro, best friend of the mayor of Ajaccio and direct witness of these daily discussions between the two college students. As she had a lot of references, he had trouble bringing her the contradictory. It bothered him a bit. He then came to take an interest in Jacques Chirac, Lionel Jospin, and the presidential campaign. As his choice had fallen almost instinctively on Jacques Chirac, he read everything he could on the RPR, Gaullism. Gradually, he brought him a real contradiction, argued. This is where his passion for politics was born.. »
The mayor of Ajaccio confirms: As my friend in question was more experienced than me and as I am quite a stubborn person, I started to read a lot. Suddenly, afterwards, she could no longer manage to “clamp” me. It was nice, it’s mutual. And then I won, because she was for Jospin and I for Chirac. »
A meteoric rise
Entering politics in 2000 on a union list led by Marc Marcangeli, he achieved his first feat of arms in 2008, following a defeat: at the end of the municipal elections in Ajaccio, he was 27 when he became a municipal councilor in the opposition at a time when the Ajaccian right was weakened. ” This first term really allowed me to position myself in an institution and make a name for myself. I scrapped there against a mayor who was very strong politically. »
After defeat, victories come very quickly. First that of the Cantonales of 2011, then that of the Legislatives of 2012 where he beat Simon Renucci, his rival from whom he also took the town hall of Ajaccio in 2014 then in 2015 during a by-election remained in the memories. Last year, he will again be re-elected in an armchair, in the first round (!).
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In the National Assembly, where he became deputy for the first constituency of Corse-du-Sud at the age of 31, the trained lawyer made contacts and created links with personalities, including Edouard Philippe. Despite the weight of the Republic’s gold, it was not at the Bourbon Palace that he channeled his passion. “ Strangely, it is more the term of mayor and the presidency of the intercommunality on the one hand, as well as the paternity of the other which made me evolve. I calmed down because I am quite a fiery person. I am passionate.»
A passion, but also a frankness and a certain aggressiveness which were sometimes reproached to him, with some lyrical flights remained famous. As when he quoted Édouard Herriot to respond to Nathalie Ruggeri (his second assistant at the time) in an interview given to Corse-Matin in November 2019: “Politics must smell like shit, like andouillette, but not too much.”
More recently, at the end of February, it was with a dark look that he sent a ” you are not the center of the world » to Marie-Antoinette Santoni-Brunelli, his support to whom he had then withdrawn his delegations to the Community of Agglomeration of the Ajaccio Country (Capa). The verbal altercation concerned the new modalities of resident status implemented by Air Corsica.
The fear of disturbing
« In terms of his character, he knows where he wants to go and he does everything to get there, Etienne Bastelica confides. It has been said of him that he was brutal and brittle, it may please or displease but in any case, he knows where he is going. He leads his boat. And at the level of work in the municipal council, the opposition is expressed. Democratic debate still takes place. »
Another image that sometimes sticks to the skin of this football enthusiast, that of a somewhat cold man. ” He is actually very warm, with a lot of heart nuance son ami Paul 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 is very modest. He is affectionate and affectionate. It’s a shame because I find that it is not seen as it really is. »
« In the countryside, he likes to go up to people and shake hands, but he is often afraid to disturb them when they are in a cafe or restaurant. “, adds Yoann Habani, fellow traveler since the 2000s and chief of staff of Capa.
“Chiraquian gesture”
Behind this shyness hides a strong character. ” He does not let himself go, continues Yoann Habani. He has a guideline. He is a man of the right, who has convictions, fundamentals and solid foundations. He is not an heir. He is not from a family with a father, uncle or grandfather who was in politics. »
A situation that somehow forced him to find his place. ” I have always been in a form of adversity, recognizes Laurent Marcangeli. Sometimes I was too hard. We are also in a region where the characters are hardened. Moreover, my opponents are not left out when it comes to being in a form of passion. Afterwards, I believe that quite quickly, people recognized in me a certain form of capacity. »
Young, he was nicknamed “the mayor”
« Over time, he also knew how to channel a certain nervousnessnote Paul Sollacaro. But a somewhat “Chiraquian” nervousness, which recalls that of Chirac in the gestures. Especially in stressful situations, such as before a debate or a speech in front of an audience. I think he was 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 gallery. Undoubtedly his training as a lawyer, but also his passion ” encyclopedic for History and its ability to remember dates and events. ” I am not diagnosed but I am a little hypermnesic “, concedes the interested party. ” Laurent can quote you the minister of such government on such dateemphasizes, admiring, Paul Sollacaro. He read a lot. He is really passionate about politics. In fact, he is a politician with a passion for politics. When he was young, he was nicknamed “the mayor”.. It remains to be seen whether he will soon be called “president”…
