“At the beginning, you have the feeling of being able to move the lines and very quickly you realize that you have no power.
You are a democratic alibi without having the right to citizenship.
» In a few words, Yvon Rosconval, elected in Triel-sur-Seine, summarizes the difficult position of the opposition municipal councilors.
A few months ago, he created a transpartisan collective of minority elected officials, which currently includes 122 elected officials from 53 municipalities in Yvelines.
And who intends to be heard during the debate on the status of the elected official.
On February 20, he sent a letter to Prisca Thévenot, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, responsible for Democratic Renewal, and to Dominique Faure, Minister Delegate, responsible for Local Authorities, with fifteen proposals to review this status in order to “deeply revitalize the local democracy”.
A financial allocation for each group
This collective advocates for an annual financial allocation for the different groups.
“Today, the oppositions have no financial means.
When you send a letter, when you have to travel for a municipal event, or make a purchase as part of your mandate, it is on your personal funds,” explains the spokesperson.
This amounts, according to the collective, to a budget of around 300 euros per elected official per year.
“It's not huge, but not everyone can afford it.
It should therefore not be surprising that the least well-off socio-professional categories are the least represented,” comments Yvon Rosconval.
The collective also wants functional protection to benefit all elected officials, the majority and the opposition.
“The conditions for exercising the mandate of minority elected officials are also indicative of an anemic democratic model,” continues Yvon Rosconval, who mentions the relegation of these elected officials very often “to premises far from the town hall, devoid of telephone or communication. 'printer.
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Not to mention hindered access to information.
“Certain subjects such as public finances or town planning are not easy to understand, all this requires having elements of information and when you ask for them, you do not necessarily have them,” argues Yvon Rosconval.
In Orgeval, the initial budget is not sent to elected officials.
You must consult it at the town hall.
In Magnanville, there is no municipal commission, everything is done in municipal council,” he illustrates.
50% of minority elected officials say they do not want to run again
Finally, these elected officials also point out the difficulty of democratic debate.
“If you want to ask a question to the municipal council, you have to ask permission from the mayor, who is not obliged to accept.
Finally, the icing on the cake when you request the intervention of the prefect, you at best have a response after three letters sent.
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A thankless mandate which discourages more than one, according to the barometer produced by this collective.
“The rate of resignations has been four times higher in the ranks of the municipal opposition since 2020. Finally, almost 50% of the opposition elected officials surveyed do not wish to run again.
» An inventory which does not bode well for the municipal elections of 2026. In 2020, certain mayors in France had not found anyone to succeed them.