It is a blow to the Communist Party which has just lost a historic stronghold. Above all, since Sunday evening with his defeat in Val-de-Marne, of which he had held the keys since 1976, the PCF no longer heads a department.
The right-wing list “Together we wake up the Val-de-Marne”, led by Olivier Capitanio, won in front of the left alliance led by the communist and outgoing president Christian Favier, who expressed his “deep sadness” .
“A historic event”, according to the right
“Attached to republican values, I congratulated the leader of the right Olivier Capitanio but I measure the consequences for the Val-de-Marnais of a right omnipresent in the Region, the Department and in many municipalities”, writes Christian Favier, who was defeated in his canton of Champigny. “It is a historic event, on the scale of our department and beyond. This victory expresses the desire for change that we have felt over the past few years ”, reacted Olivier Capitanio.
“Another very good news tonight: the Republican right is rocking the last Communist department in France, Val-de-Marne! Bravo to all our valiant elected officials who for decades have defended their convictions in the face of sometimes violent winds, ”for her part indicated on Twitter Valérie Pécresse, reelected in the evening at the head of Île-de-France.
Since the loss of the Allier in the 2015 elections, Val-de-Marne was the last department run by the Communists, thanks to an alliance with leftist forces. Already last year, during the municipal elections, the Communists had received a serious warning: the historic bastions of Champigny-sur-Marne (the town of Georges Marchais, ruled by the PCF since 1950), Choisy-le-Roi (1959 ) or Valenton (under the red flag since 1920 and the Congress of Tours) had fallen into the hands of the right. Sunday evening, the two cantons of Champigny and that of Choisy were taken from right to left.