The possible return of the accumulation of mandates now advocated by François Bayrou is also divisive in the Occitanie region

François Bayrou songeur face aux réactions sur son revirement ? EPA – YOAN VALAT

The about-face of the Prime Minister, once a fierce supporter of not holding multiple offices, remains very divisive in the political class, particularly in Occitanie.

Among other twists and turns that French political life will have experienced in 2024, we would not have bet that the debate on holding multiple offices would make such a resounding comeback. Nor that the subject would be revived by François Bayrou. The same one who was for a long time a fierce opponent, even proposing a referendum on not holding multiple offices among parliamentarians in the not-so-distant past.

A debate never really buried

Our colleagues at Public Sénat also recalled on Tuesday that he wanted to include the ban on ministers exercising local executive functions in the bill on the moralization of public life, prepared during his (brief) time at the Ministry of Justice in 2017.

Let's be honest though: since the law passed in 2014, and applied since 2017, which states that deputies and senators no longer have the right to exercise an executive function within a community (mayor or deputy, president or vice-president of a regional or departmental council, president or vice-president of an inter-municipality), this divisive subject had never been completely buried.

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“Against its deletion, in favor of its return”

And it continues to divide, as proven by the reactions to the U-turn of François Bayrou, Prime Minister who intends to remain mayor of Pau. And as demonstrated by the elected officials from all sides who met on Thursday in Montpellier during the plenary assembly of the regional council. With, in the camp of elected officials in favor of a return to the past, a unanimous republican right.

Like the Alèsian Christophe Rivenq, leader of the group Nous Occitanie on the regional council and president of the Alès agglomeration: “I was against its elimination, I am in favor of its return, limited to the possibility of a national mandate and a local mandate for certain elected officials. Knowing that the allowances are capped, it is not a question of money, but of efficiency. The situation we are currently experiencing is linked to the fact that many parliamentarians do not spend enough time outside of Paris!” he thundered.

“It's out of place!”

Aurélien Pradié (Les Républicains), head of the Courageous Occitanie group in the Region and himself a deputy, assured for his part: “I am in favor of the accumulation of mandates, with a threshold. Being able to be a deputy and mayor of a small community seems very healthy to me for democracy” he argued.

While Yoann Gillet, also a member of parliament, elected in Nîmes and the Region where he is head of the National Rally group, judged that “There is no urgency to reopen the debate. It is out of place. The fundamental issue is how to have an Assembly that is less disconnected from reality. And if we are talking about institutional reform, proportional representation seems much more important to me.”

“They are going to take us for fools!”

On the left, President Carole Delga (PS) confided to Via Occitanie that she continued to be in favor “of the possibility of combining the role of parliamentarian with that of mayor for up to 10,000 inhabitants. However, I think that you cannot continue to be mayor, or president of a Department or Region. When I was appointed to a government, I resigned from my mandate as mayor.”

His vice-president Kamel Chibli (also a socialist), does not want a return to a possible accumulation of mandates: “No, I am not in favor of it. So, of course, we can talk about the disconnection of parliamentarians on the ground, but that is not the case for everyone. And the subject is not current. And we will be taken for fools if we worry about that right now!”

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