Ethical references surface in the electoral campaign

La campagne électorale aura vu les préoccupations éthiques faire surface. Celles-ci ont pris deux formes : la publication des patrimoines des candidats et de leurs co-lisitiers d'une part, la domiciliation des futurs conseillers municipaux à Angers d'autre part. Les différentes listes en compétition ont des positions variables sur le sujet. Toute la question est de savoir si l'électorat prendra en compte les déclarations et les comportements éthiquement responsables dans son choix. 

Transparency ideal comes in the municipal elections. Frédéric Béatse, outgoing mayor, has announced he will publish on his website the list of all his real-estate, financial and miscellaeous assets. This is in the continuation of his signature of Transparency France, member of a no governmental organization dedicated to transparency and honesty in public and economic life. He is not the only one candidate to have done so. Laurent Gérault, himself, did the same and previously also joined Anticor, a French community whic aims at fighting corruption and regenerate representative democracy.

That topic, already present since the beginning of the municipal campaign, has just been revived after its was revealed by an anonymous internet user that Christophe Béchu, himself candidate to city mayor office, had entrusted to his wife's communication agency some works resulting from municipal, european and regional campaigns between 2008 and 2010, works paid by the French state. If that situation is free from legal critics, according to the Maine-et-Loire Anticor delegate, that one, Annick Planchon, and Angers medias, questioned about their compliance with ethic. So politician ulterior motives are maybe not absent in this interest for transparency charts, Mr. Béchu didn't want to sign nevertheless pointing out that such a decision "doesn't dent [his] involvement for transparency of political representatives concerning their electors" (His assets are published on his website since 2013).

A rela-ted issue to those had surfaced during the campaign regarding the place residence of candidates and running mates given some of those, competing for the Angers city council do not live in Angers. Eight persons are in that situation among the 21st running mates of Christophe Béchu (including that one) and two among the 21st supporters of Mr. Béatse, only one in Jean-Luc Rotureau's list and nobody in those of Laurent Gérault.