The mayors of Provence have decided to enter into resistance. This is a unique initiative in France: in the Bouches-du-Rhône, a label "mayor of Provence" will be the political label of about sixty elected municipal officials in the upcoming municipal elections of 2020. This label is the one of 'a movement neither right nor left, according to them. But rather that of a third way. With one goal: to encourage voters to go to the polls.
"Macron and the National Front (sic), this is not the reality in our communes.We never talk about villages, it can not continue like this", criticism at the microphone of Europe 1 Georges Cristiani, Mayor of Mimet , a town of 500 inhabitants. Like the others, he is fighting against the decline in state endowments, with a budget cut by 40% for his municipality.
Invited to speak on the initiative at the microphone of Matthieu Belliard, Thursday, Jean-Claude Feraud, mayor of the town of Trets, in the Bouches-du-Rhone, was on the same wavelength: "The problem of "A municipal election is not left-right politics, this speech is totally out of date, and what our fellow citizens expect from mayors are the people who manage the proximity and can answer their questions."
The fear of forbearance
The fear of growing abstention has also prompted mayors to take action. "From the moment we lose a lot of power and where we are deprived of our financial resources, like the housing tax for example, we are afraid that voters will turn away from the elections. to be elected with 75% of voters in general, "said Jean-Claude Féraud.
In the villages, the mayors initiative seems to be well received. "They unite and it is useful for something They have demands to make", appreciates a Provencal citizen at the microphone of Europe 1. During the campaign before the municipal elections, the logo "mayor of Provence" and the will appear on the posters. With a symbol, the oak.