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As of 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 11, the deadline for submitting candidacies for the Senate elections has passed. There are three candidates vying for the seat representing Saint Barthélemy at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris: Micheline Jacques, the incumbent senator; Benoît Chauvin; and territorial councilor Maxime Desouches.
“The work isn’t done yet”
Senator (and territorial councilor) Micheline Jacques (Les Républicains) will therefore be running for a second term. She filed her candidacy at the prefecture on the morning of Wednesday, September 9, accompanied by her alternate. The alternate is none other than the president of the Multiprofessional Economic Chamber, Jérémy Laplace. “The work is not yet done,” the senator said. “I will outline what I have been able to accomplish for the people of Saint-Barthélemy, both directly and indirectly through my role as chair of the Senate’s Overseas Delegation. There is still much to be done. That is the whole challenge of the term ahead. In particular, the issue of social taxation, which is beginning to emerge. It is also for this reason—to send a strong signal—that I chose a business leader, Jérémy Laplace, as my alternate.” Standing beside her, the president of the Economic Chamber explains: “I joined the Chamber of Commerce to get involved in the island’s economic life. The senator asked me to serve, and I believe it’s important to continue this commitment, especially since there are significant issues to address for businesses and the residents of Saint Barthélemy.”
A Returnee and a Last-Minute Candidate
The other candidacy registered earlier this week at the prefecture is that of Benoît Chauvin. A territorial councilor from 2007 to 2017, he ran for the National Assembly in 2007 and 2017, without success. His alternate will be Peggi Tello.
Other potential candidacies were expected to be formalized before the deadline. Notably that of Pierre-Marie Majorel, the former president of the Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Council (CESCE), who chose to withdraw from the race. On the other hand, although he waited until the last minute—or nearly so—to register his candidacy, Maxime Desouches, a territorial councilor for the Action-Équilibre group, will indeed be submitting his candidacy to the electors’ vote. His alternate is Audrey Desouches-Kleinhans.
The election will take place on Sunday, September 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and then starting at 3:30 p.m. if a second round is necessary. Voting will not take place at the prefectural delegation’s offices, as is customary, but in the wedding hall of the Territorial Collectivity’s headquarters. An exemption was granted to the prefecture’s offices to set up the polling station at the Territorial Collectivity, the prefect’s delegate in Saint-Barthélemy told the JSB.
Bruno Magras Appointed
Senatorial elections are indirect universal suffrage elections. This means that electors choose the island’s representative to the Senate. On September 27, the nineteen territorial councilors, Representative Frantz Gumbs, and outgoing Senator Micheline Jacques will therefore be called upon to vote. The senator will have two votes: one as a member of Parliament and one as an elected territorial official. However, she may cast only one ballot herself. A person she designates will cast the second ballot on her behalf. In this case, for this election, the prefectural decree dated June 5—which establishes the list of eligible voters—specifies that the person authorized by Micheline Jacques to vote on her behalf will be the honorary president of the Territorial Collectivity, Bruno Magras.
Electors are required to participate in the election. Failure to do so is punishable by a fine of one hundred euros.
