The Council of State validated Tuesday January 11 the municipal election of 2020 in the 6th sector of Marseille, marked by a questionable power of attorney affair, but canceled that of three elected officials of the party Les Républicains, including the ex-mayor, who became member, who will be ineligible for one year.
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Dismissed at first instance by the administrative court of Marseille, the cancellation was notably requested by the head of the list of Printemps Marseille, a broad left-wing alliance which had won the central town hall of Marseille, after 25 years of reign of Jean-Claude Gaudin ( LR), despite his defeat in this sector. According to the Council of State, thefraudulent maneuvers for the benefit of Julien Ravier’s list could not“, taking into account in particular the number of disputed proxy votes concerned (116 in the second round), “affect election resultsin this sector of eastern Marseille.
In the second round, on June 28, 2020, the LR list led by Julien Ravier was ahead of the Printemps Marseillais led by Yannick Ohanessian by 352 votes. Julien Ravier and his two running mates declared ineligible with him, Ms. Magali Devouge and Joëlle di Quirico, are suspected of having drawn up fraudulent powers of attorney, in particular in a retirement home in the 12th arrondissement where several residents, sometimes senile, had voted without their knowledge. . A criminal investigation is underway on this file and it is in view of a report from the judicial police on these questionable proxies that the Council of State decided to cancel the election of the former mayor of the 6th sector. and his two running mates.
“Fraudulent Manoeuvres”
“It results from the instruction“that Julien Ravier”was aware of the maneuvers“Engaged by his entourage during this election”and encouraged them“, specifies the Council of State, and the three elected officials have “carried out maneuvers of a fraudulent nature intended to undermine the sincerity of the election“. “Given the seriousness of these maneuvers“, the magistrates considered that it was necessary to declare them “ineligible for a period of one year“.
Julien Ravier, who became a deputy in October 2020 as a substitute for Valérie Boyer (LR), after the latter was elected to the Senate, will therefore not be able to stand again in the legislative elections of June 2022. Me Pierre Bruno, lawyer for Julien Ravier, estimated with AFP that the Council of State had only reproached his client “a fault by abstention and not by commission“. Regarding the measure of ineligibility, Me Bruno specified that the only possible remedy was to seize the European Court of Human Rights. “This appeal is not suspensive, and given the deadlines, it is not playable, the election taking place in June“, he conceded to AFP, “but we think about it, because Julien Ravier finds (this decision) very unfair“.
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In a press release, Printemps Marseille called for the resignation of Valérie Boyer, “the leader of the Republicans in this sector for more than ten years“, considering that this judgment of the Council of State, “a first, marks the infamy of the system put in place” in this sector by a “right without value and without morals (who) abused the weakness of old people, people with Alzheimer’s“.