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French court annuls Poissy municipal election; mayor says she will appeal
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The Versailles administrative court annulled the March 2020 municipal elections in Poissy, France, on October 8, ruling that 'maneuvers' by a candidate were 'likely to alter the results of the first round'. The court acted on a complaint from Mathieu Paranthoën, whose left-green list finished third with 9.56% of the vote, just below the 10% threshold to advance. He alleged that the list 'Poissy debout!' falsely claimed support from prominent political figures and parties, creating voter confusion. The court agreed, finding that the claimed endorsements were denied by the individuals and groups involved. It also declared Maxime Legrand, head of 'Poissy debout!', ineligible for one year. The current mayor, Sandrine Berno Dos Santos (right-wing), who won the second round with 52.96% against incumbent Karl Olive, said she 'profoundly regrets' the decision and plans to appeal. If the Council of State upholds the ruling, new elections will be held.
Source report
The municipal elections held on 15 and 22 March in Poissy (Yvelines) have been annulled by the Administrative Court of Versailles. In its ruling on Thursday, 8 October, the court found that the "manoeuvres" of one candidate were "likely to have altered the results of the first round of voting." Mayor Sandrine Berno Dos Santos (right-wing independent) stated that she intends to appeal.
Background of the Legal Challenge
The court had been seized of an appeal by Mathieu Paranthoën, head of the "Mieux vivre Poissy, la gauche et l'écologie avec vous" list. His list finished third in the first round with 9.56% of the votes cast (1,271 votes), narrowly missing the 10% threshold required to proceed to the second round. In his protest, Mr. Paranthoën denounced actions by the left-wing independent list "Poissy debout !", which finished sixth with 464 votes, claiming these actions had harmed his campaign.
Court Ruling
The court ruled in his favour, considering that "Poissy debout !" had claimed "the support of prominent political figures (...) when the very existence of this support was denied by the figures in question and by their respective movements."
The Administrative Court also found that "Poissy debout !" had "created confusion in the minds of voters" by claiming the support of the associations "Les écolos" and "Yvelines socialistes", when only Mr. Paranthoën's list had received official backing from the Socialist Party and the Ecologists.
Candidate Declared Ineligible
Additionally, the court declared Maxime Legrand, head of the "Poissy debout !" list, ineligible for a period of one year.
Election Results and Reaction
The list led by Ms. Berno Dos Santos won the second round with 52.96% of the votes cast, defeating the outgoing mayor, Karl Olive (right-wing independent).
Reacting to the court's decision, Ms. Berno Dos Santos said she "deeply" regretted it. "This decision, which annuls the election on grounds that do not directly concern us, is a decision we find difficult to accept," the mayor stated on her Facebook account.
Next Steps
If the Council of State upholds the Administrative Court's decision, new elections will be organised.
Source
Politique : Toute l’actualité sur Le Monde.fr.Western