French Locals 2008: Centre
Centre (PS-PCF +2)
Cher: The results in the Cher were not that surprising taken as a whole. The Radical-UMP mayor of Bourges, Serge Lepeltier, was re-elected to his office by the first round, defeating a PS and far-left list. The west of the Cher, meaning the 2nd constituency, is still a Communist “stronghold”, still held by the PCF in the National Assembly. It confirmed its alliegance to the PCF by largely dumping the DVD mayor in Vierzon in favour of a Communist. This all happened by the first round, with Sansu (PCF) defeating the DVD incumbent with over 57.6% of the votes. In the rural southern conservative city of Saint-Amand-Montrond, the right kept its hand on the city, easily, defeating the MoDem and PS in the runoff. The right, which had hopes to win the department back, failed to do so. Total PCF +1
Eure-et-Loir: To the general surprise, stability prevailed in the major cities of Eure-et-Loir. The most surprising result was the UMP mayor Jean-Pierre Gorges holding Chartres, even more surprising considering that a month before that, the Socialists had won his seat in a by-election. In fact, the race was a re-match between the same candidates (the UMP, PS, and MoDem list leaders had all stood in the by-election). Gorges was re-elected, when polls gave him defeated and pundits had signed off Chartres as an easy PS gain. Also noteworthy is the MoDem collapse in Chartres, falling to just 13.7% compared to over 18% in the by-election and June general election. Stability also prevailed elsewhere, the left held Nogent-le-Rotrou and the right held Dreux (a former FN stronghold under the Stirbois family inc.). In Chateaudun, a UMP dissident defeated the UMP mayor. For an unrelated lighter note, the UMP president of the general council, Albéric de Montgolfier is related to the Mongolfier brothers…
Indre: The largest city of the Indre department, Chateauroux, in PS hands until 2001, failed to switch to the left and the UMP incumbent was re-elected with 50.23% by the first round. The left held Le Blanc and Issoudun, the department’s left-wing bastion.
Indre-et-Loire: On the municipal level, the left, already controlling the two major cities of Tours and Amboise, held both of them easily. In Tours, the former stronghold of the christian conservative Jean Royer (until 1995, type Jean Royer on ina.fr for fun) the Socialist Jean Germain defeated the UMP sacrificial lamb, former Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres (already defeated in June 2007). The MPF candidate and the rising star of the party, Guillaume Peltier won 8% in the city and won 21% in the canton of Tours-Val de Cher. The left also held Amboise with 58.9%, despite it having given Sarkozy 55% in May 2007. On the cantonales scene, the left gained the general council for the first time ever. The right had controlled the department since… 1958.
Loir-et-Cher: The left scored an important victory in the department, taking the prefecture of Blois from the NC incumbent. In addition, they held Vendome narrowly against a right which had hoped to cancel out Blois with a gain in Vendome. In the leftist city of Romorantin-Lanthenay, the PS incumbent was re-elected with about 63% by the first round. Total PS +1
Loiret: Serge Grouard, the UMP incumbent, held Orleans narrowly, with 51.37%. In Montargis and Gien, the two other cities of the department, the right easily won, as expected, but with the independent PCF lists doing well, with over 20% in Montargis and 14.6% in Gien.
Next: Normandie