Monaco will vote on Sunday to renew its parliament

Two lists are in the running. But no revolution to expect, they barely claiming “philosophical differences”. The subjects of the Principality of Monaco, a constitutional monarchy and the second smallest state in the world, behind the Vatican, are called to vote on Sunday to renew the National Council, their parliament.

Of the approximately 38,000 inhabitants of this tiny country of 2.02 km2, landlocked between Nice and Italy, but which is not a member of the European Union, only 7,596 have the right to vote: a double condition in fact, to have at least 25 years old, and Monegasque nationality.

How it works ?

The National Council, the unicameral parliament of the Principality, is made up of twenty-four members elected for five years. And if these advisers vote on the laws and the budget, they cannot challenge the political responsibility of the government and, if necessary, overthrow it, the latter being solely responsible to Albert II, the Sovereign Prince.

Appointed by the Prince, this government is made up of five members, under the authority of the Minister of State. This unofficial “Prime Minister” is currently the Frenchman Pierre Dartout, ex-prefect of the Paca region, even if, since 2005, the Principality no longer has the obligation to appoint a French civil servant to this post.

Opposite, therefore, New Ideas for Monaco is led by the current dean of parliament, Daniel Boéri, 78 years old. This ex-member of the majority, who only competes with thirteen running mates, he admits having had “difficulty” in putting together his list, due to “fantastic pressures”. In any case, he agrees with the other camp by explaining that in the Principality, “we cannot say that there are ideological distinctions, but rather philosophical ones”. He still hopes to distinguish himself by “the vision” proposed.

New ideas for Monaco, understaffed

For this 43-year-old lawyer, the challenges of this next mandate are “the signing of a possible association agreement with the European Union” and “the preservation of the Monegasque model and specificities”. “If the priority for hiring, housing, the conditions of access to public contracts or to certain regulated professions are not preserved, the whole Monegasque social pact would be called into question”, he fears.

The National Council is elected according to a mixed one-round ballot which offers sixteen seats to the majority list, the remaining eight seats being allocated by proportional voting. But the choice is not vast, with only two lists in competition, against three in 2018.

In the role of favorite, the Monegasque National Union is led by Brigitte Boccone-Pagès, a 63-year-old former teacher, the first woman elected to the presidency of the National Council since its creation in 1911. It has twenty-four candidates, including thirteen outgoing deputies.

The Monegasque National Union, in pole position

Among them, Thomas Brezzo is optimistic for the victory of his camp, the other list, New ideas for Monaco, “being incomplete”, according to him. Voters should in any case find their way there, he judges. In Monaco “there are more debates of ideas than real differences of opinion”, he underlines.

His group intends in particular “to launch debates, in particular on women’s rights and on how to go further on abortion within the framework of the Constitution”. If the voluntary termination of pregnancy was decriminalized in Monaco in 2019 and if women undergoing an abortion no longer risk prison, performing an abortion remains prohibited on the Rock. Daniel Boéri also asks the Monegasque government to systematically assess “the ecological impact of the decisions taken”.

A campaign still in tension

In the meantime, there is still some tension between the two lists. Daniel Boéri thus denounced “shocking” maneuvers with the allocation, on January 25, “11 days before the ballot”, of 300 housing units to Monegasques, by a commission in which four outgoing members of the National Council sit.

In addition, after a radio debate in 2018, a television debate was to take place for the first time on the Monegasque public channel. It was canceled as the two lists could not agree on who should take part.

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