Elections Municipales

[Gardian]

Just a few questions about the elections in 3 weeks time:

Why the two dates? Is it just a contingency to enable the necessary number of conseillers to be elected? Thus unlikely to be needed?

There are two lists in our Commune. Can one vote for some candidates in List 1 and the rest from List 2?

Is it a 'x' against the name? Can you just vote for the whole list with one 'tick' or 'x'?

[NormanH]

There are different situations with different rules according to the size of the commune.

I am in a big town and was on a list last time round, as well as being an assesseur for the count, but things are very different in smaller places.

The two dates are for two different stages.

If one candidate gets more than 50% then that list is elected with the number of seats roughly in proportion to the votes gained by each group.

If as is more likely no-one gets an overall majority the 2 or three leading candidates  go forward to the second round.

This system leads to a good deal of tactical voting, and in the second round many vote against a particular candidate once their preferred one has been eliminated.

In my town the Socialists may well have to choose between the FN and the UMP, as it is unlikely that their candidate will be in any position to win.

http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Elections/Actualites-des-elections/Elections-municipales-2014-Ce-qui-va-changer

The two lists are 1) for the local council

2)

Dans toutes les communes vous allez élire vos conseillers municipaux

pour 6 ans. Les conseillers municipaux gèrent les affaires de la commune

et élisent le maire et les adjoints.

Si vous êtes dans une commune de 1 000 habitants et plus, vous allez également élire vos conseillers communautaires.

Les

conseillers communautaires représentent votre commune au sein de

l’établissement public de coopération intercommunale (EPCI) à fiscalité

propre auquel elle appartient, c’est-à-dire votre communauté de

communes, communauté d’agglomération, syndicat d’agglomération nouvelle,

communauté urbaine ou métropole. Les EPCI sont des regroupements de

communes ayant pour objet l’élaboration de projets commu

[idun]

You just  vote for one list. I used to take all the lists into the booth with me so that no one knew which I was voting for. 

And then on your chosen list, you cross out which candidate(s) you don't want, or in my case with local elections 'like'.  It used to give me pleasure to cross the bloke who kept ending up as maire off the list I voted for, the other people on the list were OK, him a despicable little man!

[NormanH]

It has changed as shown in the link I gave.

Now communes with more than 1000 people vote for the whole list not for individuals.

There is also a second parallel election going on as I aid above..

[Chancer]

There are some quite significant changes this year.

For communes of less than 1000 habitants no change, it all continues as before

From 1000 to 3499 habitants: Panachage is no longer allowed, you are not allowed to bar names from a list or add others, if you do your vote is void.

There is something else for the above and larger communes which I admit I dont really understand:

Vous élirez également un ou plusieurs conseilleurs communautaires. Au moment du vote, vous aurez comme avant un seul bulletin de vote mais y figureront deux listes de candidates. Vous ne votez qu'une fois pour ces deux listes que vous ne pouvez separer.

Can anyone explain that to me, it cant mean that you vote once for both lists as I am reading it, surely it must mean vote for one list or the other? If that is tha case what has changed as I havnt voted before?

[NormanH]

There are two different elections going on at the same time.

There will be 2 different lists of candidates on for each election

[idun]

Oops sorry. That is how it was, and in fact will still be for small communes, how complicated is that.

[Coquelicot]

Communes of less than 1000 inhabitants...

It's not quite the same this time for these communes. You can no longer vote for someone who is not a declared candidate by just writing their name on the voting paper (what fun that was!).

- obligation de déclaration de candidatures dans les communes de moins de 1 000 habitants

- nullité des suffrages exprimés en faveur des personnes qui n’ont pas été déclarées candidates

The conseiller(s) communautaire(s) are automatically elected according to the number of votes they receive :

A noter que l’élection ne concerne, dans les communes de moins de 1 000 habitants, que les conseillers municipaux, les conseillers communautaires étant en effet désignés automatiquement suivant l’ordre du tableau (art. L. 273-11).

[Val_2]

Well after 13years of wrangling inter-conseil about so many things, I am glad to step down now. I have never seen so many communes around here presenting more than one or even two lists this time round, people are getting het up about so many things and especially as the agglo has taken away so much from the basic conseil muncipales and insist on doing it their way or nothing, the maire is now really just a figurehead and paper signer. My son was wanted for both lists, but declined as he is hoping to move away this year and six years is a long committment (we had to do seven the first mandat I was on as the sixth year coincided with the presidentielles)

[Val_2]

Another thing I noticed too, having access to the list of registered voters here, that out of 8 english (including two teenagers of 18 and over) in this scattered commune,myself and my son are the only ones registered to vote! I feel its very important if you live here full time to vote or else you cannot vent any frustration or anger in the future if you are affected by something local.

[NormanH]

It is much nastier this time round. I was on a list last time (for the Modem) but this time it has been bitter wrangling between a candidate supported by the National Front and another extremely right-wing UMP candidate who is trying to get the Aide Medicale de l'Etat  done away with.

There are no places for individuals as there are in villages and no English people on the lists as far as I know.

http://www.charliehebdo.fr/news/beziers-1115.html

The most likely Maire has a dubious pedigree

À Béziers,

pour beaucoup, le passé professionnel d’Élie Aboud reste une énigme.

Sur ses flyers, le B de Béziers est représenté en petit cœur rouge,

et son slogan de campagne, «l’énergie pour avancer», est

souligné d’une ligne d’électrocardiogramme. Sur le site de

l’Assemblée nationale, Aboud est présenté comme cardiologue, chef de

service à l’hôpital de Narbonne. À l’ordre des médecins, le nom est

inconnu, mais un Elias Abi-Abboud, également né le 12 octobre 1959 à

Beyrouth, est bien inscrit, mais comme médecin généraliste. Du côté

de l’hôpital de Narbonne, le nom d’Élie About — avec un T cette

fois-ci — ne figure pas dans le service de cardiologie, mais plutôt

dans celui de diabéto-endocrinologie et de maladies métaboliques, et

non pas en tant que chef de service mais en tant que praticien

hospitalier, c’est-àdire uniquement habilité à exercer en hôpital et

non en cabinet privé.

I genuinely don't know who to vote for in the second round..

[mint]

[quote user="Val_2"]Another thing I noticed too, having access to the list of registered voters here, that out of 8 english (including two teenagers of 18 and over) in this scattered commune,myself and my son are the only ones registered to vote! I feel its very important if you live here full time to vote or else you cannot vent any frustration or anger in the future if you are affected by something local.[/quote]

Totally agree.  Our Cartes Electorales came through today.

[Clair]

Elections municipales 2014 (official website in French)

[Judith]

OK, I have been following this thread, and I am now coming to ask my questions, as it being the first time will have voted in France, and having read the info (including your site, Clair, thank you, but it doesn't answer my question ....) I am still not sure what I have to do.

I believe we are in a commune with more than 1000 ... and yes, I understand that there are two elections, for local and for the communauté.

It is what we do with the forms I need to know about.

As it happens, we had a vote at our multi-lingual association (sort of AVF but not) we belong to, for the new committee last year..  And it was explained to the English, that you did not tick or cross individual names, as we would in the UK, but that you voted for all or nothing, and if you put ANYTHING on the paper at all, your vote would be null.

Now is this what  happens with the municipals and the communauté now? I don't know if we have more than one list for the municipals (unlikely I expect) nor for the communauté one.  But is it just that?.  You put the list into the box?  This is such a difference from what we are used to in the UK, I do want to be correct.

I presume the only other option is not to put the list into the box to show your objection?

So, please, have I got it right?

If not will someone explain it to me in words of one syllable for a bear of little brain.

Thanks.

[crack]

For the first time (after 23 years)I will not be voting .The reason is very simple, only one list exists and there are people on that list who should never be allowed near local politics.As far as I am concerned the rule changes now mean no democracy what so ever and a licence to build up a massive powerbase for the elected few and a mandate for 6 years as well.Not even the presidents term lasts that long.

[mint]

Now you have confused me because I thought you could "rayer autant de noms que vous voulez sûr une liste"?

[crack]

[quote user="sweet 17"]Now you have confused me because I thought you could "rayer autant de noms que vous voulez sûr une liste"?[/quote]

Communes with more then 1000 people cannot cross out any names  otherwise the vote is void.

Le panachage n'est plus autorisé c'est à dire que pour que votre bulletin soit valable, ilne doit pas étre raturé, il ne doit pas y avoir de nom ajouté sur la list. Vous devez voter pour un liste entière que vous ne pouvez pas modifier.

Democracy in action

[NormanH]

You may have been used to something else Sweet, but in larger places it has always been a question of voting for the whole list.

[sid]

No-one seems to have mentioned the situation which we have in our small commune. We have a single list of 13 candidates, and we are required to cross out at least two of them (we can cross out more if we wish). The council requires 11 members. That seems pretty simple.

 

[idun]

[quote user="crack"]For the first time (after 23 years)I will not be voting .The reason is very simple, only one list exists and there are people on that list who should never be allowed near local politics.As far as I am concerned the rule changes now mean no democracy what so ever and a licence to build up a massive powerbase for the elected few and a mandate for 6 years as well.Not even the presidents term lasts that long.

[/quote]

crack, we haven't even had the vote for 23 years in these elections? so you have now confused me, as if I was not already. As I am very confused.

So how does one get a council with an

opposition on it? And why only two lists, our village always had loads

of lists, how do the people end up with a proper balanced council???? 

So

as forreners, can one vote for both the conseillers municipaux AND the

conseillers communautaires? I have done a little search and cannot see

where it is indicated.

[Chancer]

[quote user="crack"]For the first time (after 23 years)I will not be voting .The reason is very simple, only one list exists and there are people on that list who should never be allowed near local politics.As far as I am concerned the rule changes now mean no democracy what so ever and a licence to build up a massive powerbase for the elected few and a mandate for 6 years as well.Not even the presidents term lasts that long.
[/quote]

I had a similar worry but at least now there are 2 lists, I am in a larger commune like yours and cannot add or remove names. My problem now is that the Maire adjoint who is a super guy and was going to stand on his own is on the list headed by the existing Maire, a show or solodarité of fidelité whereas most of the members of the conseil municipale, specifically all of the women have jumped ship and are on the other list headed by one of them.

I am torn on the one side I have a Maire at the head of the list who in my eyes is completely useless, underneath him is the superbly competent Maire adjoint, only one other existing member of the conseil municipal and the new additions who by the new rules had to be mostly women are very young and inexperienced and i suspect bullied into being there, I know that it was a real problem as no woman from the commune wanted to put themselves forward.

On the other list we have at the head a woman who I have great confidence in, 4 others with a proven track record and TBH I would prefer it if the maire and all the CP's were women as long as they wanted to be there, those that do dont seem to be hampered by the overinflated egos and intransigence that the men have.

However voting for the 2nd list means putting the most competent person, the Maire adjoint out in the cold, and for all I know if the first list wins it might be he who they vote for to be the Maire.

I agree its a poor system now but were I in your shoes with just one list I would go to vote and spoil my ballot and encorage as many other people to do so as possible because these nul votes will be counted, it will serve as a vote of no confidence.

[Judith]

The situation as I understand is rather Hobson's choice - not democracy as we anglais understand it, and certainly an eye-opener ... no wonder the French can't run anything ...

[mint]

[quote user="NormanH"]You may have been used to something else Sweet, but in larger places it has always been a question of voting for the whole list.

[/quote]

Now I understand.  Just to be sure, I asked the French teacher today whether I could indeed "rayer" the names of people that I don't want and that I could "panacher" the 2 lists we have.

She confirmed that that was true and that I'd understood correctly.

We, of course, are small so we could pick and mix.  I think I prefer that somehow to having to choose the whole list.

[idun]

sweet17, As far as I was aware you can only cross out names on one list, not both in small communes.

I still don't understand how this will work, or if EU people can vote in both elections.

[mint]

I was at the atelier des fleurs this evening (making thousands of different flowers for the felibrée in June) and I was assured that I could cross out from both lists but to leave at least 11 names.

And, yes, we can vote in the EU election in May.

We are only barred from the national elections.