We already know the names of the candidates endorsed by the municipal and departmental majority. Among them are Catherine Moreau (Nice 5), Daniel Benchimol (Nice 11), and Dominique Estrosi-Sassone (Nice 14). In total, fourteen candidates will be in the running. But most citizens are not aware of the real stakes of this election which takes place every 6 years. This is reflected in the consistently high rate of abstention.
What are the cantonal elections?
Every 6 years, the French must go to the polls to elect General Councilors. These councilors, in turn, will elect the President of the General Council, who is renewed every 3 years.
These councilors, also renewed by half every 3 years, are responsible for managing the department’s policies which include the creation of departmental public services, management of the department’s assets, and its budget. Concretely, the General Council is responsible for the management of middle schools, child protection, health and veterinary services, the minimum income benefit (RMI), etc.
It is a two-round majority single-member ballot like the presidential and legislative elections. One might tend to believe that this institution does not have a large budget. However, it is much higher than that of the regions. In 2007, the budget of the General Councils amounted to 63 billion euros, whereas that of the regions amounted to 25 billion euros.
From March 2014, the General and Regional Councilors will be replaced by Territorial Councilors as decided by the government two years ago.
