Senate Elections—Is the die cast?

While legitimate uncertainty still surrounds a secret-ballot election, the picture seems to have become somewhat clearer as the day draws to a close. Indeed, on Friday, September 25—two days after expressing his lack of enthusiasm (and that’s an understatement) for the three candidates in the Senate elections (Micheline Jacques, Benoît Chauvin, and Maxime Desouches) in a lengthy diatribe published online (see below), Territorial Council President Xavier Lédée announced that the territorial elected officials from his group and Representative Frantz Gumbs will vote this Sunday for incumbent Senator Micheline Jacques.

A choice by default

“Following last night’s territorial council meeting, we spoke with the members of my group and with Representative Frantz Gumbs. We made the joint decision—even though there is no official voting directive—to cast our votes for incumbent Senator Micheline Jacques,” the president stated in a video posted online on a so-called ‘social’ network. Xavier Lédée, however, was quick to clarify that this is not “a choice based on party loyalty but a vote of responsibility.” Or, more likely, a choice by default.

The Returnee and the Former Ally Sidelined

“I felt that Benoît Chauvin’s estrangement in recent years and the vagueness of his platform and his vision for the Senate made it impossible for us to support him,” said Xavier Lédée. As for candidate Maxime Desouches, a territorial councilor with the Action-Équilibre group, the official believes that his “conduct over the past few years and the various initiatives he has undertaken—which have often put the Collectivity in a difficult position, beyond the president’s control—also made it impossible to build a relationship of trust.” For the record, Maxime Desouches was a member of the majority until the split in 2024 between the elected officials of Xavier Lédée’s group and the group to which the Senate candidate belongs.

Xavier Lédée, the elected officials in his group (Marie-Angèle Aubin, Mélissa Lake, Olivier Gréaux, and Fabrice Querrard), and Representative Frantz Gumbs will therefore support Micheline Jacques. This significantly reduces the chances of the other two candidates. Provided, that is, that the territorial council president’s stance is reflected at the polls and that his supporters follow his… lack of a directive.

Micheline Jacques virtually at 13 votes

In principle, Assemblyman Gumbs should therefore vote for Micheline Jacques—but more out of a sense of consistency than out of blindly following President Lédée’s choice. Indeed, while the representative stated in his August 24 speech that he would vote in the Senate elections “like the president of the executive branch,” he also emphasized the importance he places on parliamentary stability. His perspective undoubtedly tipped the scales during the discussions that followed last night’s (Thursday) territorial council meeting. Now, following this announcement, a question arises: is the die cast?

Indeed, assuming that the five elected officials from the presidential group and the representative vote on Sunday for the incumbent senator (the secrecy of the voting booth can hold surprises…) and that the territorial councilors from Micheline Jacques’s group (Saint-Barth d’Abord: Alexandra Questel, Diana Bourel, Sylvère Gréaux, and Rudi Laplace) do not pull a fast one on her, the senator would already have a majority of the votes. For the record, Micheline Jacques holds two votes: one as a senator and the other as a territorial councilor. This puts her virtually at 12 out of 21 votes. Furthermore, if the Saint-Barth d’Abord rebel Francius Matignon—who distanced himself from his running mates a few months ago—casts his vote for the incumbent, the outgoing senator’s tally would stand at—still virtually—13 votes. Needless to say, when the polling station opens its doors on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. in the wedding hall of the Collectivité’s headquarters, Maxime Desouches and Benoît Chauvin will have only a faint hope. Not of winning, but of pushing Micheline Jacques into a runoff.

We’ll find out on Sunday around 11:30 a.m.

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Xavier Lédée’s attack on the candidates

Is the president of the territorial council frustrated that he isn’t in charge of the Senate elections? For the past two weeks, Xavier Lédée has shown an irrepressible desire to play a role in the election. After unsuccessfully attempting to organize a public meeting with the three candidates, the president launched into a lengthy diatribe—published online on Wednesday, September 23—against the contenders for the Senate seat.
Xavier Lédée believes that Benoît Chauvin’s “national stance” does not seem to him “to be the most prudent given the image of Saint-Barthélemy and the work that will need to be done.” Furthermore, he lambasts the candidate’s supposed indecision on certain issues—without specifying them.
Another candidate, Maxime Desouches, also comes under fire. While the president acknowledges that Desouches has “a more coherent message” and “a thoughtful approach to his work,” he finds it “difficult to place [his] full trust in him, given that the gap between his words and his actions has at times been, to say the least, surprising.” Finally, he accuses the territorial councilor of having put “the Collectivity in a difficult position” and “undermined the public interest.”
As for Micheline Jacques, Xavier Lédée considers that she has provided him with “very little information about the work she has carried out.” Yet this information is easy to find online. Xavier Lédée also complains about “meetings or projects” in which he was not involved. Not to mention “strategic local votes” that the Senate election on September 27 would have “influenced.”
Finally, after lecturing on the role of the senator from Saint-Barthélemy, Xavier Lédée writes that he will publicly announce, before Sunday’s election, which candidate he will vote for. He “calls on political leaders and electors” to “demonstrate the same transparency.” Consequently, he urges them to set aside the secrecy of the voting booth and reveal their choice publicly before the vote. Perhaps a show of hands should be organized on the steps of the Collectivité building to satisfy the president? With the scene filmed live, of course. In any case, by attacking the three candidates, Xavier Lédée is already laying the groundwork for healthy and cordial relations with Saint Barth’s future representative in the Senate.