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A territorial council member for Saint-Barthélemy from 2007 to 2017, a former candidate in the 2012 and 2017 legislative elections as well as the 2014 Senate elections, and former president of the Territorial Environmental Agency, Benoît Chauvin is 54 years old. An economist and statistician with a strong interest in environmental issues, he describes himself as a centrist.
(Only electors take part in the Senate elections. In Saint-Barthélemy, these are the nineteen territorial councilors, the representative, and the senator.)
You haven’t really been part of the local political scene since 2017. What prompted you to run in these Senate elections?
I’m passionate about politics. I enjoy working to improve people’s daily lives. That’s what I did for ten years, from 2007 to 2017. I was there at the start of the new status for the Collectivity. I followed their development very closely. I’m committed to the best interests of Saint Barthélemy and its residents, and to preserving the status as it was originally drafted. We need to bring it to life, but we must start by properly exercising the powers we have today. I was absent for years for personal reasons. Nevertheless, my candidacy is a serious one. I didn’t just wake up yesterday morning and decide to run. This has all been carefully considered and planned. It’s not an impromptu decision. Professionally, I’ve organized my schedule to be available to carry out this role. I know how a parliamentary term works.
The other candidates are Micheline Jacques from the Saint-Barth d’Abord group and Maxime Desouches from Action-Équilibre.
Do you have the support needed to win this election?
First of all, I know most of the elected officials quite well, having worked actively with them, regardless of the groups they belong to today. The fact that I am not affiliated with any of these groups allows me to build consensus. If I am elected, I will work with everyone. Locally, we can have all the debates we want on important issues, but as soon as we step outside the territory to defend the interests of Saint Barthélemy, we must speak with one voice. So we need to build consensus—with the president of the Collectivité, elected officials, and the representative alike.
What issues should the next senator address? What will be your key priorities?
People tend to confuse the role of a senator with that of an elected official of the Collectivité. In the Senate, it’s not the senator who sets the agenda. Most of the work involves bills that are placed on the agenda by the government. If we have an issue to propose for Saint Barthélemy, we have to find a way to get it on the agenda—which isn’t easy. The agenda will be shaped by the territorial elections next March. But there are bills to advocate for in the interest of Saint Barthélemy, and above all, to shed light on the reality on the ground. We must constantly remind people that the image portrayed in magazines does not reflect reality. Previous senators have done this work very well. The issue of criminal penalties for environmental offenses will need to be addressed; health and education issues will need to be raised; and the major substantive issue will be clarifying the tax situation. Another important issue to address will be that of gifts and estates, to prevent the island from losing its history and its population. This is a critical challenge for Saint Barth to preserve its authenticity.
Against a backdrop of relative political instability at the national level, what will be the role of the future senator from Saint Barthélemy?
In the absence of a specific platform, my role will be to build consensus and serve as the liaison with Paris regarding the political decisions made here. The Senate is relatively stable politically. There may be some realignments among the smaller parliamentary groups, but that’s another matter, and we’re not there yet.
Do you have any ambitions for the territorial elections next March?
You can’t be elected and not think about it. I listen to the territorial councils, I follow the issues, so it’s something we’re always thinking about. But if I’m in the Senate, I won’t be running on a ticket—that goes without saying. If I’m not there, it’s possible I’ll run—it all depends on the slates that are formed. But if I’m a senator, I’ll be 100% committed, fully invested. I’m not running for the Senate as a fallback plan. I’m doing it because I’m interested and because I can make a real difference. I’m confident.
