Never for thirty years the Toulouse municipal election was also opened. Because after the dynasty of centre-right of the father and son since 1971 Baudis, the transplantation of Philippe Douste-Blazy (UMP) in 2001 did not. Not only Dominique Baudis, influential in the local right, criticized always his lack of support on his release in issue in the case of Alègre, but especially Toulouse opinion has veered him due to his quick departure from the Capitol to run the ministries as early as 2004. And it even if it began economic diversification in the aerospace capital by building the Canceropôle to the location of the AZF plant destroyed in 2001.
His Deputy, Jean-Luc Moudenc (related UMP), that it had imposed in the Chair of Mayor in May 2004, it was itself ousted. The Christian Democrat in forty-seven years, charismatic but good connoisseur records became the use of the right scared by bad polls of Philippe Douste-Blazy. He however was beaten to 54.5 by Catherine Lemorton Socialist in the 2007 legislative election in the riding of Toulouse centre, where he had been forced to stand after the package of Philippe Douste-Blazy. The Mayor then thought that he could not keep the Capitol in 2008 by renewing the outgoing team. Therefore, he opened the half of the UMP and new Centre list personalities of civil society as a rugby player Fabien Pelous and the directors of Latécoère and Thales Alenia Space.

He has also vagrant three representatives of the left and two of the Modem, placing second ex-Verts Marie-Françoise Mendez, former Vice President of the region and founder of an environmental agency which prepared the Agenda 21 of the city.
Walkways, bicycle paths
One year Jean-Luc Moudenc attempts to catch Toulouse in gentle movements. The opening of the second line of subway in June 2007 gave him the opportunity to piétonniser the large rue Alsace-Lorraine and install 253 bikes-stations. Then, in December, City Council voted the construction of 7 pedestrian walkways on the Garonne and bike paths along the shores. "It's a belated initiative without consensus!", criticize his opponents Pierre Cohen (PS) and Jean-Luc Forget (Modem), who denounce a coup de pub"to seduce the Bobo.
Because Toulouse changed allowing 50,000 more people since 1999 and in renewing one third of the electorate, as evidenced by the score of 57.6 for Ségolène Royal in 2007. "This election will be earn on a Baudis effect but on an anti-Sarkozy effect!", says François Simon, former Socialist candidate defeated in 2001. This doctor of fifty-three years resigned from PS in 2004 and led an alternative list he wants to merge it with the left in the second round.
For its part, the Socialist candidate Pierre Cohen, fifty-seven years, Deputy Mayor of Ramonville, South of Toulouse, has benefited from the withdrawal of the President of Midi-Pyrénées Martin Malvy, long groomed. He built a list of union PS-Greens-PCF-PRG-MRC composed of representatives of parties and a few personalities from civil society as the Vice-President of the ICC Daniel Benyahia, the former Director of security Jean-Pierre Havrin, creator of the policing sacked by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2003, and singer in Zebda, Magyd Cherfi, non-eligible position. "The people of Toulouse have want change," provides Pierre Cohen, who wants to bring together the three communities of Metropolitan living in this city of one million inhabitants in one urban community.
Opposition to the project of motorway bypass asked the Mayor to decongest the device, the left wants to develop transit including establishing a partnership with the region on a network of tram-trains. Pierre Cohen also criticized Mayor not controlled land to reduce the price of housing and develop social diversity of an agglomeration that grows to 18,000 people a year. On the other hand, the old antagonism on taxation is dimmed: Pierre Cohen is not to increase taxes, because it considers the "expensive" city and Jean-Luc Moudenc lessen the municipal dogma of "zero debt" saying "open to targeted loans."
Good economic record
But the Mayor like especially to highlight the economic balance. "The Toulouse metropolitan area is at the forefront of the creation of jobs (10,000 per year), population growth and investment with EUR 600 million per year with the Union of transportation." "I want to diversify the economy in nanotechnology, tourism and the Canceropôle to Toulouse in the Top 20 of European metropolises", says Jean-Luc Moudenc.
The arbiter of this duel is the Modem candidate Jean-Luc Forget, former bâtonnier, forty-nine years, which will continue in the second round if it exceeds 10. "The municipality has relied on the growth of aviation, but the city will not continue to grow if the bypass is saturated and the cities are soaring." "Toulouse organizes without consistent planning: Blagnac tramway will not serve the airport and the City Hall installs bikes without secure bike network stations", provides the centrist leader who, according to early surveys, not would be credited 5 of the vote, little more that other small lists, crushed, seems, by the duel at the top.
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