Today, voters will cast their ballots for the first round of departmental elections. In the Alpes-Maritimes, 27 pairs will be elected for a total of 54 members of the new assembly (two more compared to the outgoing one). The most significant new aspect of this election will be gender parity, which will ensure equality in the chamber.
Another new aspect will be that the responsibilities of the departmental council (the name has also changed) have not yet been set, as the bill on the new territorial organization has not been passed by the national representation.
The project to abolish this local collectivity has been abandoned, and the 2015 version of the department, stripped of the “general competence” clause, is expected to see a large part of its responsibilities transferred to the Regions and intercommunal entities and, where planned, to the Metropolises.
The redistribution of responsibilities means that the departments will mainly retain the social component, that is, the management of the RSA (active solidarity income), the APA (personalized autonomy allowance), the PCH (disability compensation benefit), and the ASE (child welfare assistance).
Given this new arrangement that may not be too appealing, the question arises of how many voters will turn out this Sunday and next for the second round?
In 2011, turnout was 44%, while for the first round of the presidential election, it reached 80%, falling to 64% for the municipal elections and 42% for the European elections.
Since we live in a representative democracy (the elected is mandated by the voters), the fundamental question is: what legitimacy does an elected official have if they are elected by a minority?
As for the Alpes-Maritimes, the outcome is already determined: the outgoing president Eric Ciotti will retain his seat.
Following this certainty, some uncertainties remain:
Will the UMP, the dominant party of region 06, achieve the grand slam it hopes for by winning all the seats?
Will the FN become the first party in the department as it did in the European elections? In how many constituencies will it be present in the second round? Will it have elected representatives, and if so, how many?
Will the PS and its allies be present in the second round? And if so, in how many constituencies? Will the left-wing party manage to keep its elected representatives?
The Front de Gauche is presenting its own lists, having refused any alliance with the PS. Will this choice pay off, or will it only serve to scuttle the PS’s chances, resulting in being excluded from the departmental institution as well as the Nice municipal council and the metropolitan council?
As always, the truth will come from the ballot boxes…
