The party was short-lived for Corine Mullens, the leader of @venir Citoyen. His list won the most votes during the municipal elections, but it is ultimately the other camp which emerges victorious from this political showdown. The duo Julien Defaux (MR-IC) and Pierre-Yves Dermagne (POUR) sealed an unexpected alliance after midnight on Sunday, depriving Mullens of the mayoral sash that she thought was within reach. A look back at a Monday that turned into chaos.
Discover the final results from Rochefort for the municipal and provincial elections!
10:30 a.m.: Corine Mullens can’t digest
The day after the electoral result, Corine Mullens had trouble digesting the announcement of a coalition between her two former allies. “They acted as if nothing had happened when everything was decided in advance,” she says, still visibly furious. For the liberal, this political betrayal is difficult to swallow. “How can I explain that there will be aldermen with 400 votes while my candidates had twice as many? It’s a slap in the face for democracy. I’m disappointed and I don’t understand. It’s not really for me but for all the candidates who dared to follow me”, she is indignant, denouncing an arrangement which, according to her, disregards the choice of voters and taken before going to the polls.
Even if @venir Citoyen dominated in preference votes with 6 candidates in the top 10, the MR-IC/POUR coalition represents 13 seats out of 23 and 56% of the total votes. “Democracy worked,” Pierre-Yves Dermagne said this Monday morning. “There was no overwhelming victory. We simply seized the opportunity that presented itself. We met Julien Defaux because he told us called first but we would have done the same if Corine Mullens had come to us We were three lists in a pocket handkerchief We have already worked with the liberal group so yes the decision was taken quickly because we knew the expectations of some. of others, our programs and points of convergence.”
1:30 p.m.: 150 demonstrators in front of the administration
If some spoke of a marriage of convenience, others cried treason. Corine Mullens’ supporters did not intend to stop there. This Monday, at 1:30 p.m., nearly 150 demonstrators blocked the streets with tractors to make their discontent known. “Come on Dermagne, come on Defaux, go down and negotiate, go down and justify yourself!” they chanted, determined to obtain explanations. But the refusal of political leaders to leave the administration quickly inflamed tempers. Tensions escalated when impatient and frustrated demonstrators began to lose their calm. “Damn, get out of there Dermagne! You bastard!” one of them yelled, before trying to force their way into the building.
2:00 p.m.: the protest turns violent
What began as a muscular demonstration quickly turned into a riot, with demonstrators overstepping the bounds of pacifism. The situation quickly degenerated around 2:30 p.m. As he tried to calm things down, the general director was grabbed by the neck by a furious demonstrator who shouted to him: “Go get Defaux. I’m going to punch the shit out of you.” This act was the last straw, pushing the administration to call the police.
Around 2:15 p.m., the group of environmentalists joined the demonstrators to show their support.
2:45 p.m.: Julien Defaux receives @venir citoyen
Corine Mullens and Thierry Lavis are received by Julien Defaux at around 2:45 p.m. The acting mayor tries to calm the situation, while remaining firm: “We obtained 54% of the votes. We are legitimate and have the right to form a coalition. It is neither anti-democratic nor against the law.” Thierry Lavis, spokesperson for the demonstrators, does not hesitate to openly mock Julien Defaux, renaming him “Julien Lefaux” to underline what he considers to be a political imposture. “It’s a denial of democracy,” insists Lavis, determined not to let the MR-IC/POUR alliance take control of the city without resistance. “We were supposed to have a meeting this morning to discuss a coalition. You made your arrangements during the night without warning us. You have no words.”
The strategy of Lavis and Mullens? Block by all means this agreement which they consider unacceptable. A position that would push the leader of the MR-IC to review his copy? “Clearly, no. We need to find serenity for Rochefort. And we need a college that can get along.” Julien Defaux thus implies that the relationship between him and Corine Mullens is definitively broken. And it is not the aggressiveness and hateful speeches of the demonstrators that will make him change his mind.
4:45 p.m.: an uncontrollable escalation: “You will not come out alive”
The verbal violence peaked around 5 p.m. Demonstrators threatened elected officials holed up in the building. “You will not get out of here alive,” several of them shout. Alderman Yvon Herman, who tries to leave the town hall, is greeted by a torrent of insults. Visibly panicked, he suffered an anxiety attack and had to be evacuated by ambulance with police assistance.
5:30 p.m.: The calm before the next storm?
Despite Corine Mullens’ desperate attempts to calm her troops and urge them to disperse, tension continued to rise. Some demonstrators, boiling with rage, even tried to head towards the homes of Pierre-Yves Dermagne and François Bellot. “I was in Brussels, and I returned in a hurry because my children were alone at home, confides Pierre-Yves Dermagne, still shaken by this chaotic day. I had news throughout the day, but I Was really upset when I found out they were planning to come to my house. The police came and stationed themselves in front of my house, as a precaution. I understand the frustration, but you don’t take a city hall hostage. uttering death threats It’s the Rochefort version of the assault on the Capitol.”
Around 5:30 p.m., the police finally put an end to the demonstration, summoning the last diehards to return home. But the anger still roared, like a poorly extinguished fire, ready to reignite at the slightest spark…
Regardless of which side you support, this demonstration which degenerates into violence leaves a bitter taste in this electoral battle. If democracy is based on the vote at the ballot box, in Rochefort, power today seems to be played out on the hot asphalt of the street. And @becoming a citizen, despite his desire not to remain on the sidelines, must understand that in politics, we cannot always emerge victorious. Playing the game also involves accepting losing, a reality that some obviously refuse to face.
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