The National Rally candidates are in the lead after the first round of the legislative elections in Indre. Châteauroux does not escape the wave but stands out by placing the representative of the Horizons party, François Jolivet, at the top of the vote with 36.31% of the votes. He is almost five points ahead of his direct competitor Mylène Wunsch (RN) whose score (31.92%) attests to the very real growth of her party in the prefectural city.
Thanks to an unprecedented turnout, the two qualified candidates each garnered nearly 3,500 additional votes between the 2022 and 2024 legislative elections: François Jolivet went from 3,204 to 6,542 votes, Mylène Wunsch from 2,144 to 5,741 votes. In Châteauroux, the outgoing MP, candidate of the presidential majority, therefore did not have to suffer from the rejection of Emmanuel Macron’s policy. “I didn’t think it would be this strong. I am pleasantly surprised. In the particular context of Châteauroux, he performs: he casts more votes alone than in 2022, if we add his votes from the first round to those of Alix Fruchon (The Republicans) », notes the mayor, Gil Avérous, who this time publicly took a stand for François Jolivet in a letter addressed to his fellow citizens, Friday June 28, 2024.
The weight of the mayor of Châteauroux
The “special context” evoked is obviously a reference to the four homicides that occurred in Châteauroux between April and June 2024, including that of the young Matisse, which had a national impact. This dark series which gave rise to a “fairly anxiety-provoking climate” in the first town of Indre, according to the Unsa-police union, therefore had no repercussions in the ballot boxes in Châteauroux for these legislative elections. Of the thirty-one polling stations, only six placed Mylène Wunsch in the lead, twenty-one gave a majority of votes to François Jolivet. As for the candidate of the New Popular Front, Eloïse Gonzalez, she finished first in four offices mainly located in working-class neighborhoods where participation was higher than in 2022.
Upon reading these results, the mayor of Châteauroux wants to believe that his letter to his fellow citizens has weighed in the balance. “I take it as a mark of confidence in me”, recognizes the elected official who intends to take an active part in the campaign between the two rounds. “François Jolivet is the best candidate. He knows the terrain and can defend Châteauroux’s cases,” he believes, pointing out the choice of the RN candidate not to appear on her campaign posters. « She plays nationally. But we we need a deputy from Indre in Paris and not the voice of Marine Le Pen in Indre. »
The interested party, if she remains satisfied with her score in progression compared to 2022 where she had finished in third position behind Eloïse Gonzalez (Nupes), also has the feeling that this involvement of Gil Avérous weighed in the votes. A « alliance » which leaves her perplexed. “I can only wonder about the reasons that push these two personalities who were opposed in the past to come together now, comments Mylène Wunsch. What do they defend? Their ambitions or their convictions? »
