The year 2024 will not have been easy in terms of local democracy. In the territory of the Lyon Metropolis, many municipalities have experienced crises. We can cite Francheville, where the mayor resigned after a revolt from the majority against his “authoritarianism”. New elections are due to take place on January 26 and February 2. In La Mulatière, too, the situation is tense. Rue89Lyon had investigated the political crisis within the majority of mayor (LR) Véronique Deschamps, following the resignation of eight people in September.
This phenomenon does not only affect the Rhône. Since 2020, in the 36,000 French municipalities, “2,400 mayors have resigned and 57,000 municipal councilor seats are vacant”, according to Catherine Vautrin, the former minister of partnership with the territories, cited in The Figaro.
France is facing a vocations crisis, as mayors say they are suffering from this complicated context. According to a study supported by the association of mayors of France, published on November 14 in The Parisian91.2% of the mayors surveyed say they are “under pressure” and 44.6% of mayors have already thought about quitting or resigning.
At the level of the Metropolis, we are also witnessing regular opposition from right-wing mayors of small towns facing the environmentalist majority, particularly on the subject of the Voies Lyonnaises, where they criticize the “authoritarian” methods of the group led by Bruno Bernard. An opposition which is due to the functioning of the Metropolis of Lyon. A community with unique skills in France, it has control over numerous projects carried out in municipalities, sometimes to the great displeasure of mayors.
To understand all this, find here our podcast produced in partnership with Radio Anthropocène, followed by an interview with Christophe Chabrot, jurist and lecturer in public law at Lyon 2, who is interested in the functioning of local authorities and questions of local democracy. He developed the concept of “domocracy” which puts the inhabitant of a place at the center of the debate rather than the “citizen”. He also denounces the excessive powers of mayors.
Local democracy and relations between mainland France and small towns in the Rhône: our articles to go further
To go further, we invite you to find (part of) our articles dedicated to this subject below. Some evoke the political crises that the municipalities of the Rhône are going through, others are devoted to the relations of the municipalities with the Metropolis.
-Otherwise, unplug your brain, and connect your ears. Happy listening!
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