French Locals 2008: Franche-Comté, Alsace
Franche-Comté (PS +2)
Doubs: After a big loss for the PS in Montbeliard in 2001, the Socialists have taken their revenge. They narrowly defeated the UMP incumbent 44.2-43.7. In Besancon, a solid city for the left (in Radical, SFIO, or PS hands since 1940 except 1950-1953), the PS incumbent, supported by the PCF but most importantly the Greenies (they had taken over 16% in 2001) won a first-round re-election with over 56%; the UMP far behind and the MoDem a bit below 10%. The right held on to Pontarlier, by the first round, the incumbent taking 60% to the left’s 25% and the Greenie’s 14%. Total PS +1
Jura: Despite a crisis in the local toy industry, the UMP incumbent in Lons-le-Saunier won a large re-election, much larger than expected. He took 55.5% to 35.4% for the PS, a DVD list taking 9.1%. In Saint-Claude, the right-wing incumbent lost his seat by a mere 5 votes (50.07-49.93). He better not find 6 UMP voters who abstained in the runoff! In Dole, where Dominique Voynet was trounced as the Green candidate in 2001, the UMP held onto its seat, with 46.92% to 40.71% for the PS. In the general council, which could have swung to the PS, it finally came down to a DVD to replace the UMP president. Total PS +1
Haute-Saone: The fronts remained stable, with no net gains in the 3 major cities. In Vesoul, the UMP incumbent took over 60% in the first round while the left held Lure (72.15% in first round) and Hericourt (75.6% in first round) and the presidency of the general council.
Belfort: After losing the seat in 2002 and failing to win it back in 2007, the MRC incumbent in Belfort (not Chevenement, he had stepped down a year prior) was at risk. In addition, the MRC-PS relations were not perfect. However, the climate was favourable, and the right was divided. Butzbach (MRC) won with 48.3%, the UMP had 38.1% and the DVD with 13.7%.
Alsace (PS +2)
Bas-Rhin: After losing the city in 2001, the Socialists had hopes to win Strasbourg back in 2008, and they did. With Roland Ries, the Socialists led both rounds by many points. In the first round, Ries took 43.9% against 33.9% for Fabienne Keller (UMP). The Greens came third, with 6.4% and the MoDem took only 5.7%. The FN collapsed to 2.84% and the far-right Alsatian regionalist party Alsace d’abord took 2.2%. Ries scored a big victory in the runoff, taking the lot of the Green and MoDem voters. He won with 58.33%, Keller far behind with barely 41.67%. In the Strasbourg suburbs, the left was able to hold its ground or gain. In Schiltigheim, the Socialists gained the city from the local centrist social-democratic party Mouvement démocratie alsacienne of Alfred Muller (in office since 1977, but retiring). In Illkirch-Graffenstaden, the PS incumbent Jacques Bigot almost broke 70% by the first round, surprising when the city gave Sarkozy over 60% of the vote in May. In the conservative strongholds outside of Strasbourg, the right held its ground well, as expected. In Haguenau, no surprise, a DVD emerged the winner of a four-way runoff to succeed a retiring incumbent. In Selestat, the UMP incumbent won with 54% (exactly!). Total PS +2
Haut-Rhin: Elected in 2001 as a Socialist, Jean-Marie Bockel (member of the Fillon government) won re-election narrowly as a Gauche Moderne incumbent, with the support of the UMP. The city of Mulhouse, used to centrist social democratic mayors - the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, was a member of the UDF - such as Emile Muller decided to keep Bockel, who fits the qualities of centrist social democracy. Leading the first round with 40.35%, Bockel was trailed by his former PS colleagues who took 32.34% and Patrick Binder of the FN, with 10.31%. A MPF candidate took 7.75%, most likely traditional UMP voters not fond of voting for a former Socialist. The runoff proved tighter, with Bockel taking 43.2% and the PS closely trailing with 42.6%. The FN took 14.3%. At first announced as a DVD gain from UMP on election night, Colmar kept its UMP mayor in a close UMP-DVD runoff, the UMP incumbent taking 50.35%. The UMP was re-elected in Saint-Louis with 45.1% in a four-way runoff (2 right, 2 left).