This time it’s the right one for Mohamed Boudjellaba at the head of Givors. Elected mayor of this Rhône commune of about 20,000 inhabitants in June 2020, after 12 years in the opposition, the politician “not inserted”, who carried a candidacy called “ecological left” (various left and EELV), had to go through a “re-election” on Sunday. An appeal by the former Communist mayor Christiane Charnay for “serious actions” in two polling stations had indeed pushed for the cancellation of the ballot at the administrative court (in February 2021) and the Council of State (in June ).
Unlike the second round of 2020, where there was only 29 votes between the two candidates, Mohamed Boudjellaba this time clearly imposed in the triangular (50.8%, against 31.2% for Christiane Charnay and 18% for the various right Fabrice Riva, but the participation rate is only 39.1%, against 41.5% in 2020. The 52-year-old man expresses his “joy” to find the givordine town hall, this Monday at 20 minutes.
Many thanks for these words and your support, we will indeed get back to work stronger and more motivated than ever !!! https://t.co/mP5w43YlfJ
– Mohamed Boudjellaba (@ CEGivors2020) December 12, 2021
What do you feel when you become mayor for seven months, before 10 months of forced arrest, and finally a validation worthy of the VAR in football?
That’s exactly it, I was in the grip of doubt then the VAR spoke and validated this goal (smile). It is a great satisfaction to note the very clear choice of the Givordins, with these 844 votes in advance. They judged the bickering and expressed their desire for change.
How has this necessarily special year 2021 been at the head of the city since the decision of the administrative court, then the Council of State, to cancel the municipal elections of 2020?
We were working with a Damocles sword above our heads, and when it fell, it stung (smile). A special delegation from the Rhône prefecture, made up of three senior officials, then took care of managing current affairs, but without taking any political decision. As for us, we set out again in the countryside to sensitize the inhabitants of Givors, who all needed appeasement, serenity and unification.
Your election / re-election against the outgoing mayor Christiane Charnay is symbolic, since the town hall of Givors had been a Communist for 67 years …
This is it, and we can see that we had to do it twice to raise one of the last communist bastions of the Rhône with Vénissieux. This new election was really played out on the very local dimension. The Givordins saw that in a few months, we were able to stop the concrete, we created a skate park and basketball courts, we increased the number of municipal police … That’s how it was, we had to accept the things and go back to the polls.