Local elections in France

In France, right-wing parties are expected to make gains in the upcoming local elections (on 15 and 22 March). Floriane Louison has investigated for streetpress how far-right representatives conduct politics and how local funds are allocated in ten municipalities. Unsurprisingly, in nine out of ten towns there have been massive cuts to the budgets of social, anti-racist or feminist organisations. And in 90 per cent of cases, town halls are providing less and less funding to the civil sector.

This runs counter to the overall trend in France, where two-thirds of the population are involved in voluntary organisations. “They are one of the strongest driving forces in our country,” says the Mouvement associatif. In addition to budget cuts for unwelcome organisations, the article also lists cases of abuse of power and “disproportionate generosity” towards the friends and allies of the far right.

The leadership of the Rassemblement National (RN) is not exactly throwing itself into the fray for the local elections. At least, that is the gist of an article in Libération: “Why the RN doesn’t like its mayors”. Quote: “Whilst the parliamentary group in the National Assembly plays a central role in the quest for power, the local authorities are evidently excluded from this.” Even some within the party, it is claimed, regard the track record of municipalities governed by the RN “as pitiful”.

The party has no local government programme to speak of; it prefers to focus on promoting Chairman Bardella’s book. Added to this are cases of corruption and waste of public funds, some of which have been uncovered by the press, resulting in a “mixture of disinterest and mutual mistrust” within the RN between the leadership and local politicians.