Despite electoral progress, Georges-Louis Bouchez will not be mayor of Mons. The “Mons en better” list obtains 14 seats, while Nicolas Martin’s PS holds 22. The latter will, however, have to look for a partner to form a majority. The leader of the MR said he was ready to step aside, but Nicolas Martin appeared unconvinced by this proposal.
After the results of the municipal elections, the political situation in Mons remains tense. Georges-Louis Bouchez, despite the 14 seats obtained by his “Mons en better” list, will not become mayor. Nicolas Martin, the outgoing socialist mayor, won 22 seats, but this does not guarantee him an absolute majority, forcing him to seek a coalition. A rapprochement with the MR seems theoretically possible, but the personality of Georges-Louis Bouchez and his political style could be an obstacle.
Bouchez ready to withdraw to favor a PS-MR alliance
To ease tensions and facilitate a PS-MR coalition, Georges-Louis Bouchez announced this morning that he was ready to take a step aside. “I agree not to be in college if it can relax certain relationships“, he declared, hoping to open the way to negotiations with Nicolas Martin and his team.
However, this proposal did not really convince the outgoing mayor. Questioned by RTL during the 1 p.m. news, Nicolas Martin was surprised by this openness coming from the one who, according to him, “embodied absolute evil” during the electoral campaign. He considers it unreasonable for Bouchez to now invite his list to enter a PS-MR majority, after a campaign marked by tensions.
Nicolas Martin’s skepticism does not stop there. For him, the personality of Georges-Louis Bouchez and the divisive attitude of his group constitute a real obstacle to possible cooperation. “He created a group in his image, with invectives and personal attacks as trademarks.“, he underlined. According to Martin, these tensions leave deep traces and complicate the establishment of a climate of trust, essential to any collaboration.
The extent of the divisions created during the campaign seems to weigh heavily in the decisions of the socialist mayor. He believes that Bouchez has damaged the image of Mons to serve his own political interests, which makes him reluctant to consider an alliance with the MR.
Nicolas Martin did not completely close the door to a partnership, but he expressed serious doubts about the possibility of a radical change from Georges-Louis Bouchez and his list. “I saw no sign of such a development“, he said, adding that he was more inclined to explore other alliances to form a large and stable majority.
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Bouchez Mons municipal elections 2024
