Paris (AFP)

The government's decision to no longer assign a political "nuance" to municipal candidates in municipalities of less than 9,000 inhabitants stirs the anger of the opposition and LR elected representatives seized the Council of State.

A circular sent to the prefects by the Minister of the Interior is hotly contested on the right as on the left, where one suspects the macronists of wanting to blur the readability of the results by inflating the scores of LREM.

What is "nuance"?

Different from "labeling", which allows candidates to freely choose a label, the "nuancing" carried out by the prefects consists in assigning a political color to the lists and candidates, including those who have declared themselves "unlabeled". The ministry draws up a list of nuances which are allotted taking into account in particular the "past trajectory" of the candidates. The aim is to establish at national level the balance of power between the main political trends.

What does the Castaner circular say?

The circular raises to 9,000 inhabitants the threshold of municipalities from which the prefects will have to "shade" the lists and candidates. This threshold, which has varied over time, has been challenged each time. From 3,500 inhabitants in 2008, it was lowered to 1,000 in 2014. The Ministry of the Interior also establishes the grids of nuances which will have to be allocated for the municipal elections and the community elections of March in the municipalities of 9,000 inhabitants and more. A revised list, which goes from EXG (far left) to EXD (far right), in which the nuances "yellow vests", "animalists" appear. And an "LDVC", for "List of various centers", is strongly contested.

How many municipalities concerned?

With a threshold of 9,000 inhabitants, 96% of the approximately 34,960 municipalities in France will no longer be qualified by the administration. They were already 71% in 2014 (with a threshold of 1,000) and 88% in 2008 (with a threshold of 3,500), recalls the Association of Mayors of France (AMF). With this 96%, it is approximately 52% of the electorate which will henceforth escape "nuancing".

What do mayors think?

The end of "nuance" in small towns was a strong demand from the Association of rural mayors of France which brings together elected officials from towns of less than 3,500 inhabitants. The AMRF argues that these political nuances imposed by the prefects do not correspond to the reality of small municipalities where most of the lists are "unlabeled".

What does the opposition denounce?

She accuses the government of wanting to blur the legibility of the results. The leader of the senators LR Bruno Retailleau denounces a "tampering" and the owner of the RN Marine Le Pen "a shabby manipulation".

By removing the "nuance" below 9,000 inhabitants, the circular would obscure the political color of a rural France where LREM has difficulty presenting lists for lack of local roots.

Another disputed provision, the nuance "list various center" must be allotted to the lists "which, without being officially invested by LREM, neither by MODEM, nor by UDI, will be supported by these movements". The opposition suspects the macronists of wanting to attribute to themselves the success of lists which claim to be from another formation of the right or the left. "They camouflage themselves behind the other parties," protests Patrick Kanner, patron of PS senators, to AFP.

Accused of "manipulating opinion", of changing the rules two months before the vote, Christophe Castaner defended the government's position on Monday: "It's a choice, I listened to local elected officials, others listened to the devices policies. "

What consequences to expect?

Two elected officials The Republicans of Ain have filed an appeal before the Council of State to obtain the suspension of the circular. Argument advanced: the new threshold infringes the right to information of the French and the free expression of suffrage. The hearing is scheduled for Friday at 11:00 am, the decision expected next week.

© 2020 AFP