Before the French presidential election, another closely watched election
Audio 02:36
Two candidates are running for the presidency of the Association of Mayors of France on November 15 and 16, 2021: David Lisnard, LR mayor of Cannes and Philippe Laurent, secretary general of the AMF and mayor of Sceaux.
© AFP / RFI editing
By: Anthony Lattier Follow
2 min
Several hundred mayors of small or large cities are expected in Paris from Wednesday 17 to Thursday 18 November 2021. This will be the last congress of the Association of Mayors of France under the five-year term of Emmanuel Macron.
The French president will deliver a speech there on Thursday, while behind the scenes a very political battle is being played out for the control of this powerful association five months before the presidential election.
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Usually, the election of the president of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) is a formality, with a single list, but this time there is competition.
Two mayors want to take the presidency of this association which has significant political weight.
This follows the departure of its president François Baroin, a figure of the French right, who made the AMF a stronghold of opposition to President Macron.
A head of state who, during his five-year term, had a difficult relationship with local elected officials.
He initially despised them, before extolling their merits during the great national debate of 2019.
François Baroin's departure is reshuffling the cards
To succeed him, François Baroin has dubbed the mayor Les Républicains (LR) of Cannes, David Lisnard, a rising figure of the right, who hopes to earn his stripes at the national level by winning this battle.
But it was all done in haste.
Opposite, mayors - some of whom support Emmanuel Macron - protested against this fait accompli.
They criticize the AMF's systematic opposition to the power in place.
Another candidate has declared himself, Philippe Laurent, the mayor of Sceaux, in the Paris region.
It is unknown to the general public, but known on the other hand among elected officials.
It is a pillar of the AMF.
He is centrist.
His opponent tries to discredit him by presenting his candidacy as being driven by Emmanuel Macron.
He denies it.
Nevertheless, mayors close to the presidential majority support him.
This election is interesting 5 months before the presidential election
It will be a good barometer of the field.
35,000 mayors are called to vote.
The right is in decline, but still strong in the territories.
Will she keep control of the AMF?
Or are we going to witness a change?
It will be interesting to follow in the run-up to the presidential election.
Emmanuel Macron - this is one of his weaknesses - has little contact on the ground, elected officials accuse him of being disconnected.
His party is not well established.
A more conciliatory AMF could help him in his campaign.
The vote will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Presidential France 2022
French politics