The Angevine Valérie Trierweiler's fate looks uncertain, but the "First lady status" even more

La situation de l'Angevine Valérie Trierweiler comme première dame de France reste incertain. Si celle-ci serait disposée à accompagner son compagnon François Hollande aux Etats-Unis début février, il est probable que la décision de rester ou de partir dépende encore seulement d'elle car au fur et à mesure que le temps passe l'affaire prend un tour politique. La position de Mme Trierweiler est précaire, mais l'usage d'entretenir une première dame encore plus.

The most famous Angevine, Valérie Trierweiler, whose status as first lady remains unclear, has left a few

Mrs. Trierweiler (right) [Credit Picture : Elysée website]

days ago the hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière where she was hosted for a week after his companion, François Hollande, French president, told her he had an affair with an actress, Julie Gayet. After her departure from the hospital, Mrs. Trierweiler went to La Lanterne, an official residence for the French president located near the Versailles castle. François Hollande's partner is said to stay there and have a rest for a few days. After she left Pitié-Salpêtrière, Mrs. Trierweiller thanked all the people who sent her messages through her Twitter personal (and not official) account.

According to French medias, the president and her partner would have not yet made up their mind about their future : to remain together or to split up. It seems that, even if Valérie Trierweiler didn't refuse to go with the president to the United States where this one is invited on February 11th, the future of the couple doesn't anymore depend on Mrs. Trierweiler's choice. The French president is said to be the ultimate decision-maker in that matter. The point is far from to be only sentimental. According to French medias, an absence of choice would make resurface the critic of indecisiveness against Mr. Hollande.

Some of the top Socialist leaders think that a reconciliation between the first French couple would not be believable and, in case of split that Valérie Trierweiler should immediately leave the Lanterne pavilion financed by the French tax payer. Questioned about the fact Mrs. Trierweiler is still the first lady, Mr. Hollande didn't answered but it is believed that he would not anymore wish to have a first lady besides him. At least officially. Valérie Trierweiller out of the game would deprive the future Angers mayor of a leverage. But thanks to her, the French First lady use will be given up.

Jean-Luc Rotureau wants a public debate between candidates about the resources of the city in the years to come

Jean-Luc Rotureau veut un débat public entre candidats aux élections municipales sur les finances de la ville. Au-delà de l'intérêt d'occuper le terrain électoral et de laisser entendre que les autres programmes ne sont pas viables ce qui va tendre le débat, il promet que pendant son mandat, il n'augmentera pas les impôts.

Jean-Luc Rotureau, candidate to Angers mayor office and direct challenger of Frédéric Béatse, reiterated on January 19th in his blog, that a debate about the likely financial resources of the town would be necessary. "The electoral campaign is the opportunity for candidates to put forward numerous projects, some are realistic, others no. The finances of the city are not anymore what they were before. To tell the opposite would be to lie. I wish to demonstrate it in public. The rooms for maneuver are henceforth much more narrow than before, it is necessary to explain it", said Mr. Rotureau.

The standpoint has, for the candidate, several advantages. First, it is a valuable opportunity for him to be on the front stage during the municipal campaign which is far from to be over and it is important for Mr. Rotureau, as for  Mr. Gérault, to stay the distance. The second interest is to lead his adversaries to temper their own projects or, at least, their communication about those projects. And the last is to instil the idea that the political representatives, in the majority and in the minority, are not anymore in touch with the economic climate and that a chapter has been closed. "There is no more time for demagoguery because of electoral purposes. The projects of my platform are realizable without a tax increase", Mr. Rotureau said making the debate more strained. 

Tactically, the choose to lean on the local medias. "I ask [them] to organize that debate", repeated Jean-Luc Rotureau. This one also invited his adversaries to support his idea what, if case of refusal,  may lead voters to think there is something hidden. "It is necessary the Angevins be completely enlightened before their final choice", pointed out the candidate who also promised, as Laurent Gérault, he will not raise taxes.

Laurent Gérault promises he will pull all into economy

Credit Pictures : Servir Angers

After municipal finances, the Laurent Gérault's news conference on January 17th was dedicated to the Angers economic situation and the ways he would choose to favour its recovery. Accompanied by two new running mates, a manager and an university professor, Mr. Gérault, because the electoral campaign must have its play, pointed out the "dropping out" of the city during the late years. He specifically reminded that the local unemployment rate had risen. While, for a long time, that landmark was obviously below the national rate, in 2013, national and local unemployment rates were roughly similar (10.6%). The centrist candidate moreover relied on the latest news from the Angers commercial court regarding the difficulties of Angers companies which are said to have severely worsened in 2013.

Laurent Gérault and running mates

Another (and traditional) argument was used, the compari-son of Angers with its clo-sest neigh-bours : Nan-tes and Ren-nes where students would find more easily their first job while in Angers most of them would have to go away. That standpoint will surely resurface during the weeks to come given the posssible reform of the French regions which could marginalize Angers. That one, currently at the centre of the Pays de la Loire region, could end up near the boundary of a future region what would weaken its political and economical position. For Laurent Gérault, Angers can only rely on the companies already there and on the arrival of others.

Credit Picture : Angers Développement

Regarding the first, the Union des démocrates indépendants' candidate wants to double the economic budget dedicated by Angers Loire Métropole to the private sector what makes necessary, given Mr. Gérault promises he will not rise taxes, to cut resources for other fields.  The tax on private companies will be freezed. The centrist candidate also promises he will stimulate entrepreneurship among young Angevins students and sell a part of the real estate assets of the city to local companies in order to favour their settlement in Angers region. Finally, Laurent Gérault is involved to promote innovation in and around the city through a greater use of numerical technology and the implementation of a priority to local providers in Angers calls for bids.

A quadrangular is not unlikely for the Angers second round municipal elections

According to a report dedicated by the French weekly L'Express about the Angers municipal campaign, "For the first time, a quadrangular is predictable for the second round. And the different lists promise that there will be no a merger between the two rounds". The French regulation decides that every list may keep going on the second round after she got 10% of the votes on the first round. In Angers such an hypothesis is likely for Laurent Gérault (Servir Angers), Jean-Luc Rotureau (Autrement) and sure for Frédéric Béatse (Aimer Angers) and Christophe Béchu (Angers Béchu).

So the strategy of each candidates consists in "war takings" before the first round : "the hunt for leading figures is opened", writes the Express. That search in Angers was traditionaly centre oriented. Acccording to the magazine, Mr. Béchu would court Michelle Moreau, former deputy-mayor of the Socialist previous mayor Jean-Claude Antonini. Frédéric Béatse did the same by the recruitment of a law professor, Anthony Taillefait, formerly close to Laurent Gérault the centrist candidate.

But in 2014, writes L'Express, it is not so sure that the elections will be won by the centre. If that looks true for Frédéric Béatse who, in order to offset the rivalvry of Jean-Luc Rotureau, got the support of Europe-Ecologie-Les Verts and the Parti communiste, the other candidates could nervertheless need centrists on their side. Mr. Rotureau convinced serveral little centrist parties to go with him while Christophe Béchu has concluded an alliance with another part of the centre : the Mouvement démocrate (Modem). Those rallyings look to equalize the opportunities of each candidate, but will also exarcerb tensions between them what would make (even if the second round winner will get the majority of the city council seats) more difficult the management of the future Angers assembly.

The decrease of the number of French regions may marginalize Angers

The decrease of the number of regions and the boundary evolutions of administrative territories introduced on January 13th by François Hollande, the France president, could bring some changes for Angers as well as numerous cities. While there are 22 regions in the metropolitan territory, including the Pays de la Loire, so the Maine-et-Loire and Angers, the idea is to keep only 15 of them. Such a decrease may widen some existing regions but it could also contract others and perhaps leads to the disappearance of some, including the Pays de la Loire. So the future of Angers could be changed, something what doesn't let indifferent the four main challengers to Angers mayor office.

On the left, the current mayor, Frédéric Béatse, considers that the priority consists in a clarification of competences between all France administrative levels commonly called the "mille-feuille". If Mr. Béatse doesn't question the management of the Pays de la Loire, he doesn't rule out that "an appropriate size" is something necessary to consider even if "we need to clarify, to simplify some competences, 'who does what?', that would already be an improvement". Jean-Luc Rotureau, his challenger of the left, looks more clear-cut : "The choice in favour of a new region is necessary provided that everything be also reorganized like the departments and the cooperation between cities".

On the right side, Laurent Gérault is also unequivocal : "I am favourable to a merging between regions for administrative efficiency, optimization of expenses and territories' attractiveness on the European scale" adding that he would vote a "merging of Bretagne and Pays de la Loire regions" even if he doesn't deny the risks of an hyper concentration of functions around Nantes [Pays de la Loire capital] and Rennes [Bretagne capital]. That hypothesis has been taken in account by Christophe Béchu who refuses that Angers and Maine-et-Loire be included in a widened Centre region because in those circumstances, "Angers would be located on the rims of that new area" (a danger which nevertheless exists with the merger of Bretagne and Pays de la Loire). Mr. Béchu wonders if the constitution of regions based on the Western France European constituencies (Bretagne, Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes) would not be better for Angers

The Angers commercial court observed a deterioration for Angers companies in 2013

Credit Pictures : Angers Développement

The demons-tration of angry and sorrow of the former emplo-yees of Les Ardoisières d'Angers, one of the Angers flag compa-nies, closed last year, which took place on January 15th in Paris is, unfortunately, a part of the "disaster" which descended upon the local economy. Figures were revealed by the president of the Angers commercial court, Hervé Tréhard, who presided on the 14th the starting session of the current year. In Maine et Loire, about 600 companies were unable to pay their expenses in 2013, and among them wages, what affects about 2 000 people.

Inside the Maine-et-Loire, the Angers situation is the worse and Mr. Tréhard spoke of an "explosion" and even of a "disaster". It could be assumed that those figures are the consequences of the Angers Technicolor closure. But, unfortunately, it is not true because that company was registered in Nanterre (Hauts de Seine) and depends on the commercial court of that department. More than 320 procedures have been registered in 2013 versus 260 for the previous year in the Angers area.

Analysed by economic sectors, the court notices that the construction industry is facing difficulties because "too much" residential buildings have been erected and a lot of apartments are neither sold or rented. Regarding the retail stores, the court observes that bakeries, cafes, restaurants and even drugstores have closed with a cortege of joblesses. "The reversal of the unemployment curve heads on the top", says Mr. Tréhard, in allusion to the presidential promise. The economic situation will surely be at the core of the municipal campaign even it the powers of the Angers city council are rather restricted.

What a difference a date makes...

The situation of Valérie Trierweiler, the Angers born partner of François Hollande, French president, as first lady, was the starting issue tackled by a news conference this one gave on January 14th at the Elysée palace. Questioned about Mrs. Trierweiler's position as France first lady, Mr. Hollande said he was experiencing a "difficult moment" in his private life after, a few days ago, the gossip Closer magazine published photos about an affair the president had with an actress. After he refused to answer questions about that report, saying "private matters should be dealt in private", the French president announced he would make clear whether Valérie Trierweiler was still first lady before a travel to the United States in February.


In front of hundreds of journalists at the presidentrial palace, the head of state pointed out it was "neither the time nor the place" to answer questions regarding his personal life and that he would not be drawn on the reports of his affair with actress Julie Gayet "out of respect for those involved". Among them, there is of course Mrs. Trierweiler, admitted in hospital last Friday after the "shock" over the revelations, her aides say. Her staff explained that the revelation of the presidential affair had on Mrs Trierweiler the effect of "a collision with a high speed train". The first lady (even if Mrs. Treiweiler and Mr. Hollande are not married) is expected to remain in hospital for a few days.

The topic triggered a debate regarding Mrs. Trierweiler's status as first lady. She has an office in the Elysée Palace with six staff, which is financed by public resources. A split with Mr. Hollande would make her the first "première dame" to be kicked out of the Elysée palace. Because such a person represents France at home and abroad, a Maine-et-Loire deputy, Jean-Charles Taugourdeau, proposed to legiferate about the status of the first lady, "to protect her because the task is difficult" even if, for Mrs Trierweiler, the protection of a law against the trysts of her partner would have been quite inefficient. The first lady may face a difficult choice : whether to go back to the Elysée despite her partner's betrayal (and under possible criticisms from French) or slam the door.

Angers, likely collateral victim of a love affair

Valérie Trierweiler

The split between François Hollande, France president, and Valérie Trierweiler, his partner, sounds like a bad news for Angers because that one has her family here. Even if Mrs Trierweiler was not the wife of the French president, even if the "first lady" had no official part but influence, Angers had, through her, a privilegied access to the head of state. After the French president had announced to his partner that he had a love affair with an actress, Julie Gayet, and that he met her in an apartment close to the Elysée palace, Mrs Trierweiler was sent to hospital after the violent emotional schock she received. It is not sure that Valérie Trierweiler will stay at the Elysée and assume the functions of a first lady.

François Hollande

Mrs. Trierweiler, who still has family in Angers, had several times,
came back in her native town to see her relatives, settled in Monplaisir district. On other opportunities, she came for the First shot festival or for the dedication of her book about François Hollande. One year ago for Christmas, the president of French republic, was himself in Angers in his family's partner. According to the world coverage that love affair got, Mr. Hollande saw once again the family of his partner near Paris last year. It is widely said that Mrs. Trierweiler had no idea about the new relationship of Mr. Hollande with Mrs Gayet. Before Mrs Trieweiler, the French president was the partner of Ségolène Royal, of whom he got four children. He had no children with Mrs. Trierweiler.

The book cover of Mrs. Trierweiler's essay about Mr. Hollande

The medical staff which has noticed that Mrs. Trier-weiler's tension was very low after the an-nouncement had ordered a ten days sleep treatment. The future of Valerie Trierweiler with François Hollande looks very uncertain and it seems that the announcement, by Mrs. Trierweiler's staff, of her hospitalization, is more a message sent to Mr. Hollande than French people. According to some reports, Mrs. Trierweiler (herself editor for the French magazine Paris Match) relationship with the Elysée staff failed to win unanimous support. It is not said if the first lady will have rest in Angers.

Municipal campaign : the common stance of the challengers

Credit picture : Servir Angers 

During press conferences organized the same day Janueary 9th, the two candidates challenging the leader of their political side, on the left, Jean-Luc Rotureau facing Frédéric Béatse, on the right, Laurent Gérault in front of Christophe Béchu, are focusing their campaigns about the necessity to temper the expenses during the term of the future Angers town council. "We can't promise everything without taking account of financial realities", pointed out Mr. Rotureau who is on the same line with Mr. Gérault who highlighted that "it is compulsory to have consistency between our financial and fiscal capacities and our investment choices, so our actions with our stance". 

Credit picture : Jean-Luc Rotureau

Through that position highly political, the two candidates try to make the Angevins understand that all the projects introduced by their challengers will not be feasible. Among those schemes, there are a new ice skating or a new museum, each of them sometimes part of the platforms of Mr. Béatse or Mr. Béchu. Both Laurent Gérault and Jean-Luc Rotureau have in common the idea that, in time of economic slowdown, it is necessary to lower ambitions. But doing so, they instil the idea that the plaforms of their rivals would not be realistic. And the presence of André Despagnet besides Mr. Rotureau, currrent deputy-mayor in charge of finances, was not a coincidence.

In fact the Angers municipal campaign will, during the first round be divided in two campaigns : one inside the left, the other inside the right. The common strategy of Laurent Gérault and Jean-Luc Rotureau is to get sufficient votes on the first round  in order to influence the platforms of Mr. Béatse and Mr. Béchu in the second run, and their decisions once the polls will be over. 

Cancer : empathy in therapy

Credit Picture : agents CHU Angers

If Angers is becoming one of the French, and maybe, European town most involved in the fight against cancer, with the current widening of the Institut de cancérologie de l'Ouest, located in the city Centre hospitalier universitaire, its efforts do not only consist in new medical means and material or financial resources. The Angers nursing and medical staff is also working on the ways leading to a better moral comfort for its patients whose existence is damaged, or threatened, by cancer. The goal is to implement a more human medecine which listens to and accompanies the sick persons.

Credit picture : Orl Chu Angers

Because cancer is now a very common disease, medical staffs are due to focus on their job : to care and to to try to save patients. The frequency of the clinical cases may sometimes lead them to forget they face people "who breathe, live, think and suffer". Sor the relationships between doctors and patients is essential, but also complex. In France, the issue has been dealt at the request of patients and led to a kind of formalisation of the announcement to a sick person of his or her disease, an annoucement with empathy. And that approach may be learnt.

Credit Picture : Ico

This is the goal of a course ot theatre delivered to Angers medical staff in order to make the anouncement of a cancer more comfortable to the doctors and their patients. Medecine students, young doctors and specialists work with patients performed by colleagues themselves members of the Chu theatrical community. If there is no good manner to tell somebody a bad news, some ways are better than others.

Candidates still gathering their running mates to municipal elections

The leaders of the different lists competing for the Angers city council are building up. The current Angers mayor, Frédéric Béatse who, until recently, had no given details about the members of his team, was due to submit the names of his running mates to the Angers members of the Parti socialiste on January 8th. Besides Mr. Béatse, 25 others persons will submit their candidacies. About one half is constituted by current members of the city council majority, others appearing there for the first time. But those persons choosen by the Angers socialists will have to be gathered in a list garthering delegates of Europe-Ecologie-Les Verts and of the Parti communiste, two organizations allied of Frédéric Béatse.

On the left side, Jean-Luc Rotureau, fomer deputy-mayor, recently excluded from the Parti socialiste because he didn't join Mr. Béatse, continues to unveil week after week the names of his running mates. Twelve are already official and their companions will come until the end of the month, included those who will be deputy-mayors, promised Mr. Rotureau on his website.

The Angers right and centre leaders are not inactive. Laurent Gérault, centrist, reaffirming that he will slower the expenses and freeze the taxes, introduced two persons and, among them, his likely deputy-mayor in charge of finances. As for Christophe Béchu, who disclosed the main lines of his social policy directed to young people looking for a job, mothers having to entrust their children to nurseries, elders and disabled persons, he annouced that a current member of the city council minority will manage those issues. If Mr. Bechu doesn't plan to lower the resources dedicated in the social field, he plans to use them "differently". Mr. Rotureau would have not said otherwise.

The kind speech

The speech of Frédéric Béatse, the current Angers mayor, on January 8th was obviously forced by the regulations about the communication of political representatives during the electoral campaign. Given the municipal polls will take place on March 23rd and 30th, the New Year greetings ceremony must have a genuine informative content without any reference to the next elections : what has been done before the polls and what will be done after them, as well as the candidacy of the speaker.

So, Mr. Béatse was confined in an exercise in style and was due to warn the audience about the possible disappointment his adress would generate. He was right to do so because the comments of attendance and medias have all pointed out the mayor's restraint. So Frédéric Béatse skilfully choose an angle above the municipal elections by highlighting the virtues of the "Angevin model". "The intense links of solidarity between inhabitants allow us to overcome difficulties more easily than elsewhere", reminded Mr. Béatse who also paid tribute to three categories of operators : the volunteers, the managers and the students. It is noticeable that his "daily worry", the "battle of employment", will need their cooperation.

The mayor has once again repeated his anger after the secularism tree was beheaded twice, the racist insults hurled to the French justice minister and his will to prevent the assimilation of Angers state of mind to shameful misconducts. Nevertheless, that rallying speech will have to be followed by more radical assumptions of positions in the weeks to come.

The estimated 2014 investments look "to high" for the deputy-mayor in charge of finance

The main lines of the Angers 2014 budget have been examined on January 7th by the town council and that budget will probably mark a step. First, because it was the last one introduced by André Despagnet, the deputy-mayor in charge of finances after 37 years in office. Secondly because it is also the last one of the current majority whose term will end next March after the municipal elections. So those financial setting, even passed by town council next month, could be modified later by the town councillors in function after March polls.

André Despagnet

First of all, the main cost items in the capital budget add up to € 28 millions and among those, the new swimming pool AquaVita (€ 11.5 millions) and the Maine banks settlements (€ 6 millions) are the most important. To finance those expenses, Angers city plans to borrow € 38 millions, while last year, that amount was only € 23 millions. According to a financial estimation until 2017, the first twenty cost items would reach € 42 millions what led Mr. Despagnet who will not be member of the futur city council to consider such an amount was "too high".

That project was criticized by Laurent Gérautl and Jean-Luc Rotureau, both of the candidates to mayor office who offered to postpone some of the investments. Frédéric Béatse, current mayor assured that those directions would not deteriorate the finances of the city and they were a signal to investors in Angers.

Angers has won a railway battle, but has still to fight

Credit pictures : Wikipedia

Between 2010 and 2013, Angers could have made a spectacular recovery in the railway network scheme of the Pays de la Loire, according to a comparison between two surveys published by the Conseil économique, social et environnemental de la région (Ceser). While that insitution recommended four years ago the construction of "a new line between Nantes and Sablé-sur-Sarthe... directly" adding that "For Anvgers, the relevance of a connection will have to be examined", the Ceser, in recent survey published last October, could have choosen a totally different stance. If the authority continues to favour the construction of a new line, it nevertheless points out that "the servicing of Angers, second railway station after Nantes in order of importance, must be taken into account".

Credit picture : Sara

The comparison reveals, in short, that in 2010, a direct line Nantes-Sablé would have avoided Angers, while three years later, Angers railway station should logically be on the route. For the city, things are completely different. The first option would reduce to nothing the setllement of offices, hotels, car parks, housings and the opening a South access to the Saint-Laud railway station the current town council has planned, and for some parts of the scheme, has already started to realize. If Angers may let out a cry of relief, the railway battle has maybe not ended because, the Ceser is not the ultimate decision-maker.


Because it is impossible to enlarge the current way Nantes-Angers already overloaded by high speed trains, freight trains and regional trains, there is no other choice but to built a new line. In times of scarce finances, Angers city and metropole, as well as the Maine-et-Loire general council, should be "on the same line" because an avoidance of Angers would be castastrophic with regard to economy... and employment. Sure all candidates to municipal elections have understood that. Because elections are close, they are on the same strain.

Demography : Angers' start of rebirth

Credit pictures : Wikipedia and Angers Loire Métropole

While the demographic evolution of Angers has been negative between 2007 and 2011, it seems, according to the latest figures of the census that the trend has been reversed. Between 2010 and 2011, the Angers population has increased by around 1 200 inhabitants. The Agence d'urbanisme de la région angevine (Aura) ads an observation regarding the number of main homes in the city. The authority entrusted to monitor the evolution of the population and the housing has noticed that there was an increase of the number of main homes in Angers : more than 1 800 since 2009 what, consistently, corroborates an increase of households, so of population. More than 75 000 principal residences were counted up in 2012 in the city.

Nervertheless, the figures prior to 2001 should be considered to settle the number of town councillors 55 from 2014 versus 59 before. If the debate has a technical content, its has above all, a political impact.

The decrease of Angers population is one of the critics expressed to Angers town
council majority by the minority and an argument used to illustrate that the policy implemented until 2014 was inappropriate. The majority replied that such a evolution was due to the urban renovation process which included the demolition of thousands of homes what, logically, led to a loss of population. So the return to demographic dynamic is something which should warm the heart of Angers mayor, Frédéric Béatse even if nothing is said about the evolution of the average age. The Angers demographic dynamic should not only rely on a ageing population.

The Sunday movies' cathedral service has believers

Angers town centre was very calm on January 5th morning. The Christmas mobile stores of Ralliement square have been removed and the settled shops were closed again. Ordinary Sundays are back. There is nothing to do in down town, except to buy some bread, attend the Saint-Maurice cathedral service or... going to the movies. Apparently, that is one of the most popular leisure of Angers centre inhabitants since the Variétés cinema, located on Foch boulevard, is now shut for good.

The Les 400 Coups are the single place for film-lovers and, with competitive fares, the facility attracts a lot of people. On Sunday, for the 11.00 am performance, a queue was waiting for tickets (€ 4.70 one) from almost the middle of Deux-Haies street and that, as soon as 10.30. They were people of all ages. The screenings had already started when the last viewers sat in the black. What is the most interesting is, in Les 400 Coups, all foreign movies are shown in their original language.

That should raise questions about the ways to revive commercial activity in Angers centre while most of store owners claim that they face difficulties. If, some urban layouts are always possible, will they be sufficient? It's not sure : schedules matching the lifestyle of consumers could be one of the answers. And all do not depend on town council whatever be its political mood.

The encouragements to register on the electoral roll for municipal elections have borne fruits

Apparently, the 2014 municipal elections are interesting Angers inhabitants. More than 8 130 persons have registered themselves on the electoral roll before December 31st, while 7 130 have did the same process in 2007 for the previous municipal elections. This is an important satisfaction for the candidates who encouraged electors to do so. This result - around 1 000 additional electors - is especially important because the Angers population has decreased during the late years. Among those 8 130 registrations, around 6 000 are due to persons who are going to vote for the first time.

All the candidates, whatever be their political trend, had stressed the importance of the municipal ballot and their message has been received. This could be due to the interest of Angevins for the fate of their town. The differences they notice between the plaforms : some projects will be implemented with diverging ways according to candidates. This is specifically true with the Maine banks settlement and the second tramway line. The economic situation the city experienced during the late years, even if the current majority of town council is not responsible of it, could be one of the reasons of such an interest. There are a lot of issues which may led the voters to consider those elections will be a turning point for the city, not only because they have choice between left and right, but also because, beyond left and right, for left and right candidates, the background has changed from past to present.

These figures do not presume of the rate of participation.For the first round of the municipal elections, about 59% of the persons registered on the electoral roll had voted. They were 63% on the second round.

Candidates speed up the gathering of their running mates

Few by few candidates to the 2014 municipal elections are constituting their teams. After a period dedicated to establish alliances, not always with success, now the time has come for candidates to choose running mates. Jean-Luc Rotureau, former deputy-mayor, who decided to challenge the current Angers mayor on the left, has recently announced the names of the people who would be his town councillors.

The first running mates of JL Rotureau (Credit : JL Rotureau)

If Mr. Rotureau on the left does not start as favourite, he looks never-theless to have already gathered his list because he made, on his website, the promise, that "every week" four new running mates would be officialized. The first were published a week ago and four others have just been revealed.  Some of them were already involved in local politics. Among the first four running mates, there are Rachida Ouattara, Marie-Paul Tremot-Streliski already town councillors and Samira Tamtouir, former town councillor. Others are beginners in local politics. A new group of four persons will appear on Jean-Luc Rotureau's website on January 6th.

On the right side, Christophe Béchu had introduced his first running mates a few weeks ago and has just added others more recently. Two of them were already members of the current minority in town council : Bernard Dupré and Gilles Groussard. His challenger on the centre, Laurent Gérault, displayed the members of his team. Frédéric Béatse - apparently - didn't yet disclosed who will be his running mates on his website Aimer Angers, the page of his supporters. The ability to gather a list as soon as possible may have political meanings for voters.

The candidates focus their 2014 wishes on economy and employment

If the New Year has for tradition the expression of wishes, it is also, while 2014 will be an election year, an opportunity for candidates to deliver a friendly and a political message to their supporters and, beyond them, to Angers inhabitants. Frédéric Béatse, Christophe Béchu and Jean-Luc Rotureau seized that chance to talk directly to their followers, and the first, as Angers mayor, is expected to follow a more institutional way through official meetings in Angers districts followed by a likely more political meeting on January 30th in the congress centre. 

In his wishes, Mr. Béatse reminded that Angers got several top rankings for the quality of life last year which were good assets to consider future with optimism even if major issues employment and economy will be his top priorities. In those fields, two schemes will be implemented : the launching of a new facility for cultural companies and the structuration of economic sectors (botanic and electronic) what led the candidate to wish that 2014 be favourable to jobless people. 

Mr. Béchu emphasized the importance of the choice the Angers voters will have to do next March in two ways. First, he pointed out that the city needs "a change in power, a new democratic breathe which puts again the employment and the economic development at the core of the municipal action" and stressed that "the time of computer generated imagery and pharaonical schemes was over" (a clear allusion to the Maine banks settlement) in favour of "reasonable ambitions" (the partial cover of the speed way). 

Jean-Luc Rotureau, who has invited some people to tell their wishes (peace between bikes and cars in Angers, schools having the ability to educate youngs or a place in a nursery for a baby), took an utilitarian standpoint "all who are besides me want to build a municipal platform that is helpful". Until now, Laurent Gérault didn't took the floor for the the New Year wishes but reacted to the last demographic figures regarding Angers and set two priorities (housing and economy). He should involve himself in that exercise next week. 

But, under those wishes there is a certainty : the campaign will be tough. That is only promise Angevins can believe. 

Angers demography : a symbol of attractiveness and an issue for progress

Credit Pictures : Angers Développement

According to figures publis-hed by the French Institut national de la statistiques et des études économiques (Insee), Angers would have recorded a decrease of its population between 2006 and 2011. That year, the number of Angers inhabitants was below the threshold of 150 000 (148 800 exactly) while they were about 152 000 in 2006. That situation, which has been pointed out by Christophe Béchu, challenger of the current Angers mayor, Frédéric Béatse, will lead to a reduction of the number of town councillors as soon as the next municipal elections. They will be 55 instead of 59 until 2014. But the impact goes well beyond the political assembly.

At a departemental scale, the demographic figures are more favourable. The Maine et Loire population has

increased during the same period by 24 000 inha-bitants. The number of persons living in Maine et Loire was 790 000. But that evo-lution is largely due to the natural balance, i.e. the number of inhabitants less the death plus the birth. So it has few to do with an arrival of new inhabitants came there because of jobs opportunities. Moreover, the increase in Maine et Loire is well below that of Vendée and Loire-Atlantique.

These figures could mean that the Maine et Loire and especially Angers have (no yet) sufficient attractiveness to galvanise their demography. Demography is, at the same time, the origin and the consequence of many economic evolutions. If candidates are unable to stimulate natural increase of the Maine-et-Loire and Angers demography, there task could be to favour the arrival of new households having qualifications as workers and purchasing power as consumers. That forces to work on the economic environment of the labor and the consumption, two factors on which the authority of local representatives are limited. Nervetheless, it's not a reason to refrain from doing something. That will surely be one of the utmost topics of the electoral campaign. Happy New Year to the readers of Angers Daily News!