“It’s when the going gets tough that the tough get going,” says the proverb. As Renaud Muselier and Thierry Mariani are neck and neck in the polls, the atmosphere is becoming tense as the first round of the Regional elections in PACA approaches.
Members of LR have filed a request in Avignon to remove from the electoral lists the leader of the RN, a former Sarkozy supporter, in the regional elections in Provence-Alpes-Cรดte-d’Azur, claiming that he does not have a “real domicile” in the city, as their lawyer revealed on Wednesday.
This request was filed on Tuesday before the Avignon judicial court under an “absolute urgency” procedure by five Avignon residents, including the LR regional councilor Michel Bissiรจre and two members of the party’s committee in the first constituency of Vaucluse, specified Me Xavier Cachard.
For his opponents, Mariani’s real domicile is situated in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. They also point out that the RN candidate cannot feature in 2021 “for the second consecutive time on the direct contributions roll” of the city of Avignon since his rental contract was registered on January 20, 2021, and therefore cannot be listed on the electoral rolls.
“I have a tax certificate and I am registered on the contributions roll. I remind you that last year, I was a candidate in the municipal elections of Avignon, if I did not meet the criteria, I wouldn’t have been able to run. I am perfectly compliant, I don’t see why I should be worried,” responded Thierry Mariani.
The court could review this request in the coming days, according to Me Cachard, but in the event of an appeal, a potential removal could only occur after the elections of June 20 and 27.
