The president of the association of mayors of France (AMF), LR David Lisnard, is alarmed that the “resignations of local elected officials are reaching an unprecedented level”, in a context of “civic crisis”, “discouragement” or even of “attempts to intimidate” councillors.
“We can already say that of 1/5 of the departmental associations of the AMF, these resignations have affected 238 mayors, 773 deputies and 2,976 municipal elected officials, that is, close to 4,000 elected officials who have resigned since the beginning of their term in 2020. ”, warns the mayor of Cannes in an interview with figaro this Monday.
“These figures confirm an alert rating”
“We can therefore say that throughout France the threshold of 1,000 resigned mayors has been exceeded. This trend is even faster than during the previous term, during which departures had already doubled”, laments David Lisnard.
“These figures confirm an alert index, because the resignations of local elected officials are reaching an unprecedented level,” he warns.
“This phenomenon is indicative of the civic crisis that is expressed in all areas, in a country marked by increases in abstentionism, aggressiveness, etc. Perhaps we are also facing a crisis of commitment, which we already perceive in the associative world with the decline in volunteering”, estimates the president of the AMF.
According to the mayor LR of Cannes, “the municipal exercise is a bureaucratic headache”, which “tires and worsens” and “the multiplication of limitations continues to be the first cause of discouragement”.
“Incivility weighs” too, he stresses, qualifying “attacks on social networks” that “target the reputation and affect the honor of elected officials”, “discredit” or even “attempts to intimidate”.
“We can fear a discouragement of vocations, as is becoming more and more frequent. (…). Passion is still very present in many town halls, but be careful!” insists the president of the AMF.
Source: BFM TV
