Prior to the municipal elections, the lack of candidates became a common concern in various municipalities, with some communes struggling to fill their lists. As a result, certain municipalities were unable to vote at all.
Discussions on the topic focused largely on the lack of engagement among young people and a lack of interest in local politics. However, in reality, a number of young candidates who scored highly in the elections have subsequently been passed over when local administrations were formed.
One example is the situation in the municipality of Koerich, which uses the first past the post (majority) system. 31-year-old Kevin de Oliveira received a majority of votes in his first election as a new Koerich resident after having stood in Dippach once before.
Without de Oliveira, elections would not have even taken place in Koerich as he was the sole candidate to stand against the incumbent mayor and his team. Yet, the newcomer triumphed over Jean Wirion, winning 70 more votes.
Despite this, de Oliveira said he wasn’t interested in taking over as mayor, but would have liked the post of first alderman. But when the new council was announced, de Oliveira was excluded entirely. “I was told the team had already come to an agreement and they would proceed with a hierarchy,” he explained.
The smallest municipality in the country had just seven seats up for grabs in its first past the post vote on 11 June.
Jo Clausse, the 23-year-old daughter of former mayor Raoul Clausse, who died in 2018, promptly came third. But her joy did not last long as she was informed via text message that sixth-placed Tom Staus would be taking her spot as second alderman.
Clausse believes her exclusion is due to her appearance on leaflets prior to the election, which depicted her alongside outgoing mayor Jean Konsbrück’s team. Newly-elected mayor Gérard Zoller ran as an independent, as did the two new aldermen.
“I imagine it appeared as though there were two camps,” Clausse said. It is also possible that old resentments against her father worked against her, to which the education graduate emphasised: “I am not my father and I do things differently to him.”
Clausse hopes that these initial difficulties will not affect her productivity on the municipal council going forward.
Even in first past the post municipalities, the positions of mayor and alderman are decided by the majority of the new municipal council, with no obligation to follow the order of the election result. But the question remains, what of the will of the electorate?
De Oliveira is said to have received much support in Koerich following the announcement that he would not be included in official positions, with some saying the council formation had not followed voters’ will. But he said he has come to terms with the situation and hopes for good cooperation over the next few years.
