Unsurprisingly, the municipal authorities did not allow the establishment of La République en Marche in the local political landscape during the first round of municipal elections on Sunday, March 15. Despite some victories, the presidential party recorded a disappointing first round, often relegated to third or fourth position.

Two victories of Minister, Édouard Philippe in ballotage

Consolation prize for the presidential movement: several of the candidates he supported were re-elected in the first round. First, the members of the government Gérald Darmanin in Tourcoing (North) or Franck Riester in Coulommiers (Seine-et-Marne).

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, who does not belong to LREM but who received "support" from it, is on the ballot in Le Havre, with 43% of the votes collected, 9 points more than his opponent PCF. The second round promises to be uncertain, due to a weak reservoir of votes for the head of government.

Invested outgoing mayors are doing well

Among the roughly 600 head lists that La République en Marche presented in municipalities with more than 9,000 inhabitants, around half were "invested", the other "supported". Among the latter, many of them are leavers, who have benefited - like the other parties - from a continuity bonus. And can leave LREM hope of achieving its objective of having 10,000 municipal councilors elected.

Thus, in Angers, outgoing Christophe Béchu (ex-LR, supported by LREM of which he is not a member) was easily re-elected with around 55%. Perhaps the best performance of the evening: in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, the outgoing David Valence, also supported by the walkers, was re-elected by almost 72%. And the mayor of Nevers, Denis Thuriot, duly inscribed LREM, was 51% re-elected.

Lots of unfavorable tossing

But behind these few performances, La République en Marche is wiping spectacular gadgets: in Limoges, Monique Boulestin comes in fourth with 7.9% of the vote. In Toulon, MP Cécile Muschotti collects around 7% of the vote, in Arles, MP Monica Michel comes in fifth position with 5%. MP Alice Thourot, in Montélimar, is fourth with 11.40%.

In Paris, while the election seemed to have been played out a year ago for the presidential party, the representative of the presidential majority Agnès Buzyn is in third position (between 17 and 18%) behind Anne Hidalgo and Rachida Dati. The dissident and ex-LREM Cédric Villani is announced at between 6.7 and 8%.

For the leaders of the presidential movement, the time is also to disappointment: Thomas Cazenave, in Bordeaux, arrives in third position with less than 13%; in Perpignan, MP Romain Grau has to settle for fourth place with 12.4%; in Rennes, MP Carole Gandon is third with around 14.5%; in Nantes, MP Valérie Oppelt is fourth with less than 13%.

But it was in cities where La République en Marche could reasonably hope for victory that hopes were seriously doubted: in Strasbourg, Alain Fontanel is behind EELV, at around 20%.

Worse: in Besançon, Éric Alauzet is third, far behind EELV, but also LR, with less than 20%.

In Lille, Violette Spillebout also came in third, with around 18%.

Finally, even among the leavers they supported, LREM accuses disappointments: in Nancy, the mayor Laurent Hénart is on unfavorable waivers. And in Biarritz, the outgoing MoDem Michel Veunac comes in ... fifth position with less than 13%.

There remains the question of mergers - for the lists which obtained at least 5% of the votes cast -, supports or withdrawals for the second round, if it takes place next Sunday. The Republic on the march has set a red line: do everything to prevent the victory of the National Rally, an issue that arises mainly in Perpignan.

Elsewhere, negotiations begin. Last deadline: Tuesday, 6 p.m., for the filing of lists in the prefecture, even if no large city seems able to be won.

"In many cities, LREM will become a force of alternation," we rejoice however among the walkers, who hope "local elected officials on whom we will be able to count". And all the better to establish the presidential movement locally by the regional elections in 2021 and the presidential election in 2022.

With AFP

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