Gérard Larrat, the divers droite mayor of Carcassonne since 2014, has announced his candidacy for a third term in the March municipal elections, contradicting his 2020 statements. At 84 years old, he justifies the decision with a sense of responsibility amid the candidacy of RN deputy Christophe Barthès. The announcement has triggered departures within his majority.
In July 2020, during the first session of the municipal council at Carcassonne's Palais des congrès, Gérard Larrat stated it was 'the first day of [his] last mandate.' Re-elected five days earlier with 47.2% of the votes, the mayor of the Aude town with 46,500 residents seemed to draw a clear line on his political future.
Nearly six years later, on December 5, 2025, Gérard Larrat officialized his bid for re-election in the March municipal elections. This reversal comes as two of his majority's deputies had already declared their candidacies, leading to a cascade of departures from the municipal council. 'There are moments when one must take responsibilities,' he explained. In 2020, he had launched a ten-year program, hoping a team member would take over, but that did not happen. 'It's courage, political courage, because I wanted to do something else,' he acknowledged.
Leading Carcassonne since 2014, the outgoing mayor defends his record, highlighting the creation of the Cité des sports and an investment of over 4 million euros in renovating building facades and shop windows in the city center and medieval quarter. This decision comes under pressure from the candidacy of Christophe Barthès, an extreme-right deputy from the Rassemblement National (RN), who is targeting the mayoralty.
Gérard Larrat's announcement has stirred unrest in his own camp, illustrating internal tensions ahead of the elections.
