PoliticsFrench Municipal Elections 2008

Click here to read about the electoral campaign that took place in the French town I live in La Roche sur Foron.

Municipal elections will be held throughout France in March 2008. Each of France’s over 36,000 mayorships will be up for election as will city, town and village council seats. The election will be held during two possible rounds March 9th and 16th. Depending on the outcome of the first round, a second will be necessary should no list receive more than 50% of the vote.

In French municipal elections voters vote for a list of candidates, the head of the list will be mayor should his or her list receive more than 50% of the vote in the first round or the most votes, regardless if it’s not a majority, in the second round. Those elected will serve for six year terms. The electoral law in France now states, that each list in a town of more than 3500 persons must have the same number of men as women.

The last municipal elections in France were held in 2001 and were temporarily extended to 7 years, so as not to conflict with the Presidential election in 2007.

Once the elections are held the council will elect the mayor and his or her deputy mayors, called adjoints in French. Normally the mayor will be the head of the list that is in the majority. The council is a parliament of sorts with the mayor as the head. All laws and budgets must be passed by the council.

There is one set of voting rules for municipalities of more than 3,500 inhabitants and another for those with less than 3,500 inhabitants. For those with more than 3,500 inhabitants the rules are that voters vote for a list of candidates. The list is equal to the total number of council seats. Voters can not change this list, add or remover names.

The allocation of council seats for municipalities of more than 3,500 inhabitants is done via a mix of direct and proportional representation. If a list receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round then that list is given half the total seats and the rest are allocated proportionally, with each list receiving more than 10% of the vote having seats.

If no list gets more than 50% of the vote in the first round then there is a second round. All lists that receive more than 10% of the votes cast can take part in the second round. Lists can fuse in between rounds as long as they receive more than 5%.

If still no list receives 50% of the vote in the second, then the list with the most votes gets half the seats and the rest of the seats are allocated proportionally among all lists that receive more than 10%.

For municipalities with less than 3,500 inhabitants the rules are that names on lists can crossed out or names can be added (panachage) but the list is full, that is equal to the total number of council seats. But again, voters can change this list, that is add or remover names. Municipalities with less than 2,500 habitants can have incomplete lists that could only have one name. The vote counting for municipalities with less than 3,500 inhabitants is done by candidate name and not by list, each candidate that receives 50% plus of the vote is elected. If not enough candidates are elected to fill all the council seats there is a second round.

For France’s three biggest cities Paris, Lyon and Marseille there cities within cities in that each city has an elected citywide mayor and council plus district mayors and councils based on the cities arrondissements (districts), in Marseille they are called secteurs.

Related Links:
French Politics: Municipal Elections
French municipal elections, 2008 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia