In Drôme, a page in the political history of Crest will be turned in a few months. Former LR deputy Hervé Mariton will resign from his mandate as mayor which he has held for almost 29 years “effective from the summer of 2024”, he announced on Saturday.
The former Overseas Minister in the government of Dominique de Villepin (2007) explained his “intention to pass on responsibility for Crest town hall to the current first deputy (Stéphanie Karcher), while remaining a member of the council municipal”, confirming information from the regional daily The Dauphiné Libéré.
A complicated re-election in 2020
Elected five times mayor of this town of nearly 9,000 inhabitants, the 65-year-old former deputy for Drôme explained the decision to be taken “both for the complete success of this mandate and above all to prepare for the future”, “preparing for the 2026 deadlines”.
In 2020, he was re-elected in a stormy context. The Council of State finally validated the results of the municipal election in favor of the elected official two years ago, overturning a judgment of the Grenoble administrative court after a narrow victory for its list.