With the increase in mayoral resignations, the fear of a “democratic crash”

A sort of “great fear” grips local elected officials, almost everywhere in the country. What if, in the 2026 municipal elections, the number of candidates collapsed? In September, the president of the association of small towns in France, the mayor (Socialist Party) of Barentin (Seine-Maritime), Christophe Bouillon, put his foot down: “We can’t imagine that elected officials will break down. Attention ! If we are not careful, the risk is great, really very great, that a failure of mayors will lead to a democratic crash and even a territorial blackout. »

In this context, the statistics on mayoral resignations are carefully scrutinized. Because they give an imperfect indication of the state of mind of the troops. Since the start of the mandate of mayors elected during the June 2020 municipal elections, “2,400 mayors have resigned and 57,000 municipal councilor seats are vacant”specified the Minister of Partnership with the Territories, Catherine Vautrin, Monday November 18, in Le Figaro. A year and a half earlier, the government cited the figure of 1,293 resignations. Some 1,100 mayors would therefore have left their functions between April 2023 and October 2024, according to M^me Vautrin.

A surprising worsening, even if there is often a peak mid-term. The acceleration was measured by Martial Foucault, professor at Sciences Po Paris, who has worked extensively on the subject of local elected officials. During the 2008-2014 mandate, he recalls, the average resignation was 150 per year; in 2014-2020, it was 250 per year; from 2020 to 2023, it was 450 per year. For its part, the cabinet of M^me Vautrin gives these averages: 485 annual resignations over the previous mandate; 529 since 2020.

Cry from the heart

These elements, taken from the national directory of elected officials (RNE), should however be taken with a grain of salt, as the Ministry of the Interior itself specifies. Indeed, the definition of reasons for resignation taken into account in the RNE has evolved, their number increased from six to eleven in 2021, and the details that the prefectures give in the RNE also vary. Long-term comparisons are therefore hazardous.

On the other hand, the testimonies leave little doubt about the fear of a “democratic crash”. At the congress of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), which is being held in Paris from November 19 to 21, Jean-Luc Lentier, mayor (various left) of Vézac (Cantal), challenged Catherine Vautrin: “We’re fed uphe said. Madam Minister, I think there will be many fewer mayors in two years because we can't take more…”

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