Not long ago, Eric Ciotti and Christian Estrosi were both members of Les Républicains (LR, France's right wing party).
In Nice, the capital of the south-eastern Alpes-Maritimes département, the two leading figures from the right are set to clash in the nationwide municipal elections on March 15th and March 22nd.
For a long time, Ciotti and Estrosi were very close, with the former becoming the latter's parliamentary partner in 1988. For years, they worked together, even dividing up roles in 2008: Christian Estrosi took the mayor's office in Nice, which he still holds, while Eric Ciotti became president of the Alpes-Maritimes department.
But overtime, Estrosi moved closer to French President Emmanuel Macron, while Eric Ciotti remained faithful to the hard right, which lead him to ally himself with the Rassemblement National (France's far-right party) after the European elections of 2024. This is when the rift widened between the two men.
The rivalry is closely followed by the French press and among politicians, with French journalist Jean-Baptiste Forray even writing a book on their relationship titled "Les Frères Ennemis de la Côte" (the two enemy brothers from the coast).
How did this rivalry begin?
In the 2020 municipal elections, Eric Ciotti almost entered the race to become mayor of Nice, but withdrew in the name of “unity” within Les Republicains. He refrained however from clearly expressing his support for Christian Estrosi, the incumbent LR mayor.
Having both broken up with their former parties, Eric Ciotti went on to create the UDR (Union of the Right for the Republic) and Christian Estrosi joined Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe as vice president of Horizons (Center-right). It became inevitable for the former close friends to end up in confrontation.
What could change in Nice if Ciotti is elected?
At the heart of Ciotti's programme is a symbolic measure: reversing last year's property tax increase, which his supporters called “record-breaking” and which was very poorly received by part of the population.
Ciotti has stated that his first measure if elected would be to “cancel the 19 percent tax increase implemented last year,” referring directly to this local property tax hike, which has significantly increased the burden on many homeowners in Nice.
He is also pushing for schools with “heating or air conditioning,” as well as “facilities where we can share our passion for sports.” The candidate has promised to renovate existing facilities. He promises to repair “broken sidewalks” and “walking paths.”
Ciotti wants to demolish the OcéaNice convention center if he is elected and he wants to restore the "beauty of the port of Nice".
He also promises to a replacement project to the OcéaNice centre, that he promises will "bring a lot of tourism and an help increase the economy of the city". Ciotti hasn't specified the details of that project.
His campaign also includes bringing back cars to the centre of the city. The candidate promises “more parking spaces", along with a pricing model based on that of its neighbouring city of Cannes: two hours of free parking.
He also wants to double the number of police officers on the ground to make the city "safe again".
What is in Estrosi's 2026 programme?
Meanwhile, the incumbent mayor, seeking a fourth term, has decided to make culture a priority for his 2026 campaign.
One of the main grievances Estrosi's opponents had against his cultural policy was his decision to demolish the National Theatre of Nice in 2022.
Estrosi wants to invest €100 million in culture over his term in office, or €18 million per year.
He says, the flagship project will be the Palace of Arts and Culture.
Some of his planned renovation projects include redoing the roof of the Théâtre de Verdure, an outdoor theatre located in the city, to create a space with 2,000-seats. He also wants to transform the Gare du Sud, an old train station, into a “discovery hall” with diverse libraries. Another project of his is to create a new library in the Saint-Isidore district, a famous district in the city centre that gives the impression of a small town.
Estrosi also wants to open museums in the evening once a month, expand the number of art biennials, and - more ambitiously - support the emergence of a new “École de Nice" (school of Nice), the artistic movement that flourished in the city from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Away from culture, Estrosi announced 10 measures to make "life more pleasant" for the city's families. Some of these points include: extended opening hours for nurseries and daycare centres until 7 pm as well as opening childcare on Saturdays for children aged 0 to 11.
He also wants to simplify the way the administration works. If re-elected, he has announced the creation of a single portal to centralise and digitise 100 percent of administrative procedures (marriage, school, library cards, etc.) This would come into action on July 1st, 2026, in Nice.
Who is favoured to win the municipal election?
LR has announced its support for Christian Estrosi, to the dismay of several local officials.
Meanwhile, David Lisnard the LR mayor of nearby Cannes, has publicly announced his support to Ciotti.
“I don’t suffer from Stockholm syndrome and in my opinion LR has no business supporting those who have worked against it,” Lisnard said.
Nearly all elected officials of the region come from LR, but the assembly is essentially split between a Ciotti-aligned majority and an Estrosi-aligned opposition.
As for who will come out on top, well at the time of publication no poll had been published to indicate the likely winner.
How will this impact the French presidential elections of 2027?
It will be hard to really tell if the result in Nice will have any bearing on the 2027 presidential battle. A win for Estrosi could give a boost to Horizons leader and former French PM Edouard Philippe who has announced his candidacy for the presidential election of 2027.
If Ciotti wins it would suggest a general shift to the right and will likely be welcomed by the the far right.
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