Eric Ciotti campaigning at the foot of Christian Estrosi's town hall for his first leaflet distribution in Nice

"The town hall doesn't belong to a clan, doesn't belong to a man. It belongs to the people of Nice. This town hall, which is closed, which is fenced off - whereas when we arrived in 2008 it was open - I want to reopen it. Today it's Fort Knox (1)", smiles Éric Ciotti, surrounded by the two UDR deputies from the Alpes-Maritimes, Christelle d'Intorni for the 5th constituency and Bernard Chaix for the 3rd.

This statement was made by the now official candidate for the Nice municipal elections in front of the gates of the town hall on Thursday morning, August 28.

In front of this place, in the heart of Nice, which he aims to confiscate from the outgoing mayor Horizons.

This place that the two men invested together. Another time, another era. In 2008, they walked side by side: Christian Estrosi became mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti his first deputy.

"I've already read it," laughs Nofri.

The invasion of mustard-colored caps bearing the Nice moniker, with Éric Ciotti around the town hall, doesn't go unnoticed. The looks are puzzled, amused. Others are downright embarrassed. Ciotti, for his part, is particularly at ease. This time, he's going for it. All the way.

" Soon Eric [Ciotti] will be moving into Estrosi's office ," a fan rejoices, distributing the letter to the people of Nice written by her "champion."

Ciotti shakes hands at the bar across the street, as he leaves the town hall, including those of the municipal police officers guarding the gates.

I was also about to shake hands with Gaël Nofri, the deputy traffic officer for the mayor of Nice, who was passing by... And who left, willingly or not, with his leaflet. " I've already read it ," he laughs.

The RN fully mobilized

" It's a beautiful campaign morning ," Bernard Chaix enthuses. He'll be on the UDR-RN list, " of course ," he says. Just like Christelle d'Intorni.

Where? " We're not there yet ," they say. The same goes for the leader of the National Rally in Nice, Estrosi's former deputy, Benoît Kandel.

" In a municipal campaign, there is a local dimension and a political dimension. There is a national agreement, of course the National Rally supports this candidacy. Our executives, our activists are integrated into Éric Ciotti's teams for a single purpose: to win the mayoralty ," explains the former elected official.

A real army

The morning began at the port office. " With you, an army is rising. A peaceful army that will be victorious. Nice needs change, a break. Here, we don't indulge in backstabbing or fake letters ," the candidate declared.

Behind his army is preparing: group 1, group 2, group 3, etc. Together, they will pound the pavement in several districts of Nice, which is completely gridlocked.

" We have to mobilize for him. We've had enough of Estrosi, he does what he wants! Even though it's our money. I don't want to pay anymore to finance his lifestyle ," grumbles an old activist. " Out with the king of Nice ," laughs his wife, who shouts " Ciotti to the town hall, Ciotti to the town hall ."

Théo is more discreet, he's just 16 years old. " He's an extraordinary man. He has values, he'll know how to defend Nice's heritage and culture. And bring security back to the city ," stammers the young man who is embarking on his very first campaign.

"I refuse, Mr. Ciotti."

On the street, the welcome is warm. It must be said that Ciotti has been at home at the port, the heart of his constituency since 2007. " I think I'll vote for him ," assures a taxi driver. The same goes for this grandmother walking her dog.

" I'm voting for him in the legislative elections, so it would be consistent ," she said, walking along Rue Cassini. " We're going to vote for you, and it will be a vote of support, not by default ," swears a fifty-year-old who lives in Pessicart...

Across the street, a man from Nice disagrees. "I reject Mr. Ciotti. I oppose the far right. These are the parties that arrested people who disagreed with them, these are the parties that prosecuted Jews. My family is a righteous family. I will never vote for these people, " he argues.

Around Éric Ciotti, a swarm of collaborators. They take photos, videos, listen to absolutely everything that is said. They take the pulse of the city.

And the candidacy of the UDR deputy. They will then flood social media. And prepare for the rest of the campaign. It's only just beginning.

" You'll see, the list will be exceptional. Athletes, cultural figures. From many backgrounds. The criterion is roots ," confided a member of the entourage.

1. A military camp in Kentucky, USA, known for being the storage location for the US Federal Reserve's gold.