Across France, elections for chambers of agriculture officially begin this Wednesday, January 15. In Haute-Vienne, the vote will be delayed: the voting materials were not delivered on time. Voters will not receive ballots and election propaganda until the end of the week. The prefecture assures that “everything was done in compliance with electoral law”.
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“It was phenomenally late. There are the announcements and the reality on the ground. No one today in Haute-Vienne can vote.” Thus Bertrand Venteau sums up the situation. The president of the Departmental Chamber of Agriculture, member of the Rural Coordination, encounters an unexpected problem: while the professional elections officially begin this Wednesday, January 15, the voters have not still not received the ballots and professions of faith from the candidates.
Farmers will receive voting materials at the end of this week until the beginning of the next.
Bertrand VenteauPresident of the Departmental Chamber of Agriculture
Farmers, professional employees and retirees from the sector will only be able to elect their representatives in a few days. “Voting materials will leave todaycontinues the elected official. To be able to vote, it is sent by paper and the farmers will receive it at the end of this week, until the beginning of the next.”
If several French departments are experiencing this delay, in Limousin, only Haute-Vienne is affected. Creuse and Corrèze are spared. “We had no problemattests Amélie Rebière, thead of the list for the elections at the end of January and president of the Rural Coordination in Corrèze. Here, everything takes place in good conditions.“
If several French departments are experiencing this delay in the delivery of electoral materials, in Limousin, only Haute-Vienne is affected. Creuse and Corrèze are spared.
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© Michel Clementz / MAXPPP
Bertrand Venteau speaks of “confusions in the organization“. According to Amélie Rebière, the dysfunction comes from the prefectures, responsible for checking whether the ballots and electoral propaganda sent to voters' mailboxes comply with regulations. “Usually, it is the ministry which sets the date of the commissions which validate the electoral materialshe explains. There, with government instability, certain prefectures took liberties and met too late. Hence the confusion that certain departments are experiencing today.“
Everything was done in compliance with electoral law (…) so that the sincerity of the vote was not altered.
François PesneauPrefect of Haute-Vienne
For his part, François Pesneau, the prefect of Haute-Vienne, defends himself from everything “retard“and deplores”lies that only aim to destabilize institutions” : “Everything was done in compliance with electoral lawhe certifies. The texts require us to deliver the equipment before January 21. We respected this date by starting shipments this Wednesday. Everything was done to ensure that the sincerity of the vote was not altered.“If the prefecture mentions”a printing problem on the envelopes which caused a loss of two days“, she assures that she has not missed any deadline.
Voters wishing to vote via the internet will receive the necessary codes at the same time as the other documents. According to the decree of April 12, 2024, paper ballots, like electronic votes, must be sent before January 31, 2025 at midnight to be counted.
