Lyon municipal election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Municipal and mayoral elections will be held in Lyon
in March 2008, at the same time as other municipal elections
. The current Mayor of Lyon Gérard Collomb (PS) should have faced UMP candidate Dominique Perben
and MoDem
candidate Christophe Geourjon, who finally chose to join the Perben list. Azouz Begag
declined to seek the MoDem nomination. Another MoDem candidate was selected by François Bayrou
a month before the elections as head of the MoDem list to replace Geourjon and other defectors both to the UMP-led and the PS-led lists.
In the French municipal elections, 2001
, the Socialist
Gérard Collomb
won the country's second largest city from the UDF
. Lyon had been considered a stronghold for the centrist UDF in previous years. In 2008, former UMP
Transportation Minister
Dominique Perben
will try to win back the city. Surprisingly, the two highly presumed candidates for the centrist MoDem
and the far-right National Front, Azouz Begag
and Bruno Gollnisch
respectively both announced their intentions not to stand. Two nationalist right-wing parties, the MPF and the DLC
(led by Charles Millon
), made agreements with Dominique Perben
, who inserted their candidates on his list. Subsequently, former right-wing mayor Michel Noir has openly distantiated himself from Perben, most notably in a February interview with the Lyon daily Le Progrès
. For the same reason, François Bayrou
has decided to maintain a separate MoDem list and not to support the Perben list.
Polls indicate that Collomb has approvals nearing 90% and is favored to win an easy re-election.
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
in March 2008, at the same time as other municipal elections
French municipal elections, 2008
The French municipal elections of 2008 were held on 9 March in that year to elect the municipal councils of France's 36,782 communes...
. The current Mayor of Lyon Gérard Collomb (PS) should have faced UMP candidate Dominique Perben
Dominique Perben
Dominique Perben is a French politician. Born in Lyon, he was French Minister of Transportation from 2005 to 2007. He was previously Minister of Justice , Minister of Civil Service and Administration and Minister of Overseas France .Perben has been a Deputy in the National Assembly for the fifth...
and MoDem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
candidate Christophe Geourjon, who finally chose to join the Perben list. Azouz Begag
Azouz Begag
Azouz Begag, is a French writer, politician and researcher in economics and sociology at the CNRS. He was the delegate minister for equal opportunities of France in the government of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin till 5 April 2007...
declined to seek the MoDem nomination. Another MoDem candidate was selected by François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
a month before the elections as head of the MoDem list to replace Geourjon and other defectors both to the UMP-led and the PS-led lists.
In the French municipal elections, 2001
French municipal elections, 2001
Municipal elections were held in France on 11 and 18 March 2001. These elections were marked by a setback for the left and a victory for the right one year before the 2002 presidential election...
, the Socialist
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
Gérard Collomb
Gérard Collomb
Gérard Collomb, born on 20 June 1947 in Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, is a French politician. He is an active member of the French Socialist Party and has been Mayor of Lyon since March 2001....
won the country's second largest city from the UDF
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy was a French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right. This name was chosen due to the title of Giscard d'Estaing's...
. Lyon had been considered a stronghold for the centrist UDF in previous years. In 2008, former UMP
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
Transportation Minister
Minister of Transportation (France)
The Minister of Transport is a cabinet member in the Government of France. The position was created in 1870 as a modification of that of the Minister of Public Works...
Dominique Perben
Dominique Perben
Dominique Perben is a French politician. Born in Lyon, he was French Minister of Transportation from 2005 to 2007. He was previously Minister of Justice , Minister of Civil Service and Administration and Minister of Overseas France .Perben has been a Deputy in the National Assembly for the fifth...
will try to win back the city. Surprisingly, the two highly presumed candidates for the centrist MoDem
Democratic Movement (France)
The Democratic Movement , MoDem) is a centrist, social liberal and pro-European French political party that was founded by centrist politician François Bayrou to succeed his Union for French Democracy and to contest the 2007 legislative election, after his strong showing in the 2007 presidential...
and the far-right National Front, Azouz Begag
Azouz Begag
Azouz Begag, is a French writer, politician and researcher in economics and sociology at the CNRS. He was the delegate minister for equal opportunities of France in the government of French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin till 5 April 2007...
and Bruno Gollnisch
Bruno Gollnisch
Bruno Gollnisch is a French academic and politician, a member of the National Front far-right party, and a member of the European Parliament. He was chairman of the European Parliamentary group 'Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty' in 2007, which was dissolved in November 2007 following the...
respectively both announced their intentions not to stand. Two nationalist right-wing parties, the MPF and the DLC
The Right (France)
The Right is a political party in France, founded in 1998 by Charles Millon following his expulsion from the Union for French Democracy due to alliances he formed with the National Front, which allowed him to get elected as president of the Rhône-Alpes regional council...
(led by Charles Millon
Charles Millon
Charles Marie Philippe Millon, born on 13 November 1945 in Belley, Ain, is a French politician. A member of the UDF, he was member of the French parliament for Ain and President of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council. He was Minister of Defence from 1995 to 1997 in Alain Juppé's government, and led...
), made agreements with Dominique Perben
Dominique Perben
Dominique Perben is a French politician. Born in Lyon, he was French Minister of Transportation from 2005 to 2007. He was previously Minister of Justice , Minister of Civil Service and Administration and Minister of Overseas France .Perben has been a Deputy in the National Assembly for the fifth...
, who inserted their candidates on his list. Subsequently, former right-wing mayor Michel Noir has openly distantiated himself from Perben, most notably in a February interview with the Lyon daily Le Progrès
Le Progrès
Le Progrès is a regional daily newspaper which is based in Lyon, Rhône. It reports primarily on local news in the Rhône-Alpes region.The printing factory is in Chassieu, in the agglomeration of Lyon....
. For the same reason, François Bayrou
François Bayrou
François Bayrou is a French centrist politician, president of Union for French Democracy since 1998 and was a candidate in the 2002 and 2007 French presidential elections. In the first round, he received 18.6% of the vote, finishing in 3rd place and therefore was eliminated from the race....
has decided to maintain a separate MoDem list and not to support the Perben list.
Polls indicate that Collomb has approvals nearing 90% and is favored to win an easy re-election.
1st Arrondissement
2nd Arrondissement
3rd Arrondissement
See also
- French municipal elections, 2008French municipal elections, 2008The French municipal elections of 2008 were held on 9 March in that year to elect the municipal councils of France's 36,782 communes...
- Paris municipal election, 2008
- Marseille municipal election, 2008Marseille municipal election, 2008Municipal and mayoral elections will be held in Marseille in March 2008, at the same time as other municipal elections. The current Mayor of the city, Jean-Claude Gaudin will face Socialist candidate and Senator Jean-Noël Guérini...