Are we able to vote for the new mairie?

[mogs]

Sadly our mairie died last week after quite a long illness. We went to the service on Saturday as did hundreds of others.

I understand there will be an election for a new mairie, in due course, and wondered if, as British citizens, if we are able to vote?

We've lived in this village for 9 years now.

[andyh4]

IF you have registered at the mairie to be put on the voters' register you can vote in local (council but bot regional) elections and for your MEP.

[mint]

However, you can never vote for your maire as such.  The élus choose the maire from amongst themselves.

[betise]

I'm pretty sure that the next maire will automatically be the 1ier adjoint, there will not be a municipal election.

Could be wrong though.

[mint]

Premier adjoint sounds reasonable, betise.

As the last municipal election was only 2014, there will, of course, not be a municipal election yet.

We do have a custom called la plantation where I live in the Dordogne.  The new élus and the maire (new as in changed or not) invite people to this plantation at their house.  We "plant" a sapin (not really plant but put in place like a Christmas tree and people bring things to put on the tree, flags, or something related to hobbies or activities the elected like to do.  There might be wine bottles, therefore, a tractor, whatever to hang on the tree.

Then the guest are provided with endless food and drink all day until they stagger home bleary-eyed.

I understand that this is a tradition in parts of the Dordogne and les Landes but I don't know if they have this or similar ceremonies elsewhere?

[richard51]

Yep an excuse for a **** ** all day and spending the taxes.

If you look around Dordogneshire you will see lots of these trees attached to houses of elus (elected people).

All very incestuous though!!

One we went to had the elu putting a pair of knickers on the tree. He insisted on putting the tree in his mother in laws garden and not in his house - another story there.