Municipal 2026: the match started in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, all-out mobilization in the headquarters

Raymond Masse conseiller municipal officiant au bureau numéro un.

In Bagnols-sur-Cèze, the political class is drawing lessons from the European elections and their consequences for future elections. And in particular the 2026 municipal elections for which the RN deputy, Pascale Bordes has already applied.

"There we are. This is a sanction vote! Everyone is disinterested in Europe. The municipal match started in Bagnols-sur-Cèze" declares this local political actor. This Sunday, June 9, 2024, the election weather forecast continued to announce storms in the central town of Rhone Gard. But the sun put up resistance on the roof of Escanaux, Jean-Mermoz, Saint-Exupéry or Place Mallet. "Sunday  at 5 p.m. across all the polling stations in Bagnols-sur-Cèze there were 558 more voters than five years ago at the same time slot" underlined the cultural assistant Michel Ciegelski who supervised the operations of the multicultural room which housed offices 2, 3 and 4.

The spiripontain model

"Three weeks ago in Pont-Saint-Esprit, Gérome Bouvier won in the first round of a vote where the National Rally was present", argues the mayor of Bagnols-sur-Cèze Jean-Yves Chapelet. "Today, a month after the partial municipal the same RN makes 50 % on the same chessboard spiripontain". The Bagnolais councilor, on the other hand, admits "a generalized malaise, people are losing their bearings. Do all those who voted for RN embrace the ideas of this party ? Of course not !" concludes the mayor.

"Burst of citizenship"

A specialist in electoral decryption says: "If’there are more voters that could mean that’ there are instructions that have been given to raise certain votes"he analyzes. President of office number 12 room Jean-Mermoz, the first deputy Maxime Couston also does not believe in the hypothesis of a municipal match which would be played in advance in favor of the RN. "The European elections have absolutely nothing to do with the municipal elections which will take place in 2026. What about the dissolution decided by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron ? "Today we have the possibility of interrupting the mandate of the RN deputy of the territory. She is absent from the municipal council, from the community council and I have never seen her in my office. This other elected representative from Bagnolais is not more optimistic. "Doesn't the fact that there are more voters lead to the idea that there is a more oriented vote? I don't think it's a burst of citizenship."

Numbers and what they say

The counting operations end at polling station number one located on the first floor of the town hall, justice room. Municipal councilor Raymond Masse reads the result. The list led by the president of the National Rally (RN) Jordan Bardella comes out on top with 183 votes. He is seconded by Raphaël Glucksmann of Place Public Parti socialiste who achieves a score of 59 votes. The head of the Renaissance list, Valérie Hayer obtains 41 votes. The European deputy Manon Aubry and her running mates from La France insoumise collect 38 votes. More anecdotal, the small breakthrough of Marion Maréchal leader of the Reconquête list, Eric Zemmour's party wins 31 votes. It is an understatement to say that with a cumulative score of 214 votes, the Le Pen and Zemmour lists are doing well in office number one. “It gives me ideas for the 2026 municipal elections” declares opposition elected official Jérôme Jackel.

Candidate MP

The time has come to put away the envelopes. The president of office number one, Jean-Christian Rey, initials the last documents. Some political figures from the region are present, from the secretary of the Communist Party section in Gard Rhodanien Elian Cellier to the former regional councillor Laurette Bastaroli, including the RN deputy Pascale Bordes. "I will be a candidate for municipal elections if the population wants it and if I am supported by citizens who ask me, then I will put together a list." Reaction of the communist Elian Cellier: " Very good if she does it. She would be a very bad candidate since she already has a problem. as an elected official of the opposition, she does nothing".

Thunderclap

The secretary of the communist section does not dwell on the subject. "I am working to unite the left-wing forces to bring about an alternative project to the RN and the outgoing municipality", indicates- he. Same story with former Bagnolais elected official Christian Roux. He appeals "to the democratic left" embodied by Raphaël Glucksmann : &quot ;It must take matters into its own hands and propose a program that counterbalances that of the RN". In the room of office number one, no one suspected at the moment of the close of the counting that in the minutes that followed the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron would announce the dissolution of the vote. rsquo;National Assembly. A clap of thunder that no political meteorologist saw coming.