Christian Estrosi, Nice's mayor for eighteen years, lost to Éric Ciotti, his former protégé turned rival, in the 2026 municipal elections' second round. The politician announced his withdrawal from political life while facing several judicial cases. He delivered a carefully prepared farewell speech.
Christian Estrosi, a key figure of the Azuréenne right and mayor of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) for eighteen years, conceded defeat to Éric Ciotti in the second round of the 2026 municipal elections on March 23. Ciotti, Estrosi's former protégé turned rival and backed by militants of an evolving right, thus takes over France's fifth-largest city following a fratricidal struggle within the local right. Estrosi, vice-president of Édouard Philippe's Horizons party, had prepared a fifth-version «discours d’adieu» (farewell speech) with precise stage directions such as «Regard», «silence», «respiration», «pause», and «émotion». This document, accidentally sent to the press with these instructions, was quickly withdrawn and replaced by a plainer version titled «reconnaissance résultats» without referencing prior drafts. In his address, Estrosi stated: «Une page se tourne. Je vous dis au revoir, mais pas adieu» («A page turns. I say goodbye to you, but not farewell»). Though stepping back from politics, he faces ongoing judicial threats. This setback fits into broader results for Horizons, which succeeded in places like Le Havre, Reims, and Angers but failed in Nice.