Administrative court annuls Saint-Fons municipal election after irregularities on rival list

The administrative court in Lyon has invalidated the municipal election in Saint-Fons, a town of roughly 19,000 residents south of Lyon, after finding that the list of incumbent mayor Christian Duchêne omitted the Portuguese nationality of a running mate, breaching legal requirements. The tribunal declared 901 first-round ballots from Duchêne's list null and identified 192 votes that had been counted incorrectly. Consequently, Duchêne's list was absent from the second round, allowing the La France insoumise list led by former deputy mayor Hadi Mebarki, which had earned over 37% in the first round, to win with close to 41% of the votes. This decision mirrors earlier cancellations of elections in Vaulx-en-Velin and Vénissieux, also won by LFI candidates, and those rulings are now under appeal to the Council of State, which could mandate fresh elections within three months.