New room, dirty atmosphere. The first city council in the renovated hemicycle of the administrative center of Strasbourg will be remembered. Not for the inauguration of the premises but rather because it was marked, extremely rare, by the departure in full session of the opposition. The three groups, regardless of their political color, all left around 8:45 p.m.
The reason ? The first deputy mayor Jeanne Barseghian (Europe Ecologie Les Verts) had just announced that two resolutions would not be put to the vote. Including that carried by Pierre Jakubowicz (Horizons) on the reopening of museums six days a week, lunchtime included.
“The two texts had been tabled on time, they had not been the subject of any discussion during the meeting of the presidents in the morning and even stated during the agenda… There was no reason that the rules suddenly change”, explains to 20 minutes Pernelle Richardot (Socialist Party) deploring “a deteriorating situation for the opposition”.
” I have never seen that “
Because this is not the first time that the debates are tense between the executive and its opposition. “They had already done it to me for a November resolution, and to others”, continues the elected leftist. “What happened is not an isolated event. The freedom of speech of municipal councilors outside the majority has been constantly reduced since the beginning of this mandate. We had to act to say stop, ”adds, on the opposite side of the political spectrum, Jean-Philippe Vetter (Les Républicains). ” I have never seen that. During the twelve years of Roland Ries (the former mayor), we had at least the floor. I’m not saying that we convinced him every time, but we could express ourselves. »
Would the opposition today be if not censured at least ignored? “There is a permanent tension that I have never known,” said former first deputy Alain Fontanel (Renaissance). “It is due to an erratic and authoritarian management of the session by the mayor or the first deputy. They decide to change the agenda when it bothers them. »
“It’s a tinkering with local democracy,” adds Pernelle Richardot, denying a calculated staging of Monday evening’s outing. “Frankly no because we have a concern for the common good and we have not added any. Let’s not forget that we also represent part of the people of Strasbourg and this part is despised today. »
However, after her investiture, Jeanne Barseghian took a step towards the opposition by opening up the possibility of initiating a resolution… “And even if it already exists in other cities, we welcomed this progress. But now, we have to go to the end of things, ”continues Jean-Philippe Vetter. “Except that at the same time, the number of municipal councils has gone from 10 to 8 per year, that the second round of speech has disappeared and that now it is also forbidden to react after an interpellation and the response of an elected official! In short, when the subject bothers them, they do everything to prevent the debate. »
Rather serious accusations that members of the majority refute. “We have given additional democratic spaces to the opposition. Like the Finance Committee, speaking time and financial means regardless of their number…”, retorts Benjamin Soulet. “We would like them (the opposition) to be more in the co-construction and the proposal than in the permanent clash, the agitation and the posture”, supports Sophie Dupressoir.
“A permanent power-up strategy”
In a press release, Jeanne Barseghian’s “Strasbourg ecologist and citizen” group explains that the famous resolution at the origin of the chaos “departed significantly from the spirit of the internal regulations by replacing the municipal executive, which is why we have decided not to submit it to the vote and to postpone it to a plenary committee. “This theatrical departure is the culmination of a permanent strategy of part of the opposition to energize the debates which we wish, for our part, to be as peaceful and democratic as possible”, writes the majority again.
Monday evening, the mayor had closed the session by repeating her “attachment to the contradictory debate” and by calling for “in-depth work on the internal regulations”. That’s good, that’s what the opposition regularly asks for. “But they have been playing the clock for months. There is a rot. This is why we wanted to react with a strong gesture, ”reacts Alain Fontanel, who does indeed plan to return to sit. Like the other protesters. “We cannot permanently boycott a democratic forum. »