In Bourges, in the Cher department, right and center leaders have formalized their union for the 2026 municipal elections, hoping to unseat the diverse left mayor Yann Galut. Philippe Mercier, opposition leader, launched his candidacy at a meeting on October 17. This alliance aims to avoid the divisions that led to the 2020 defeat.
To try to unseat Bourges's diverse left mayor, Yann Galut, right and center leaders are playing the unity card to avoid a setback like the one in 2020 marked by divisions.
In Bourges, there will be no war between the right and center. Kakemonos emblazoned with the slogan 'United, let's change course,' planted on the lawns bordering the municipal hall of the Asnières district, on Friday, October 17, outline the contours of a reconciliation.
As night falls, nearly 250 people gather to listen to Philippe Mercier. The former deputy mayor of Bourges and current opposition leader, a symbol of both local right-wing disunity and the failure of the previous municipal elections in 2020, which saw a left-wing victory, chose this unpretentious venue for his first meeting to confirm what had been no secret for weeks by officializing his candidacy.
In a speech delivered in about twenty minutes, with the carved facade of Bourges Cathedral projected as a backdrop, this commercial law attorney engaged in politics since 2013 spoke of victory, 'programmatic axes,' and above all, union. 'The one that failed us so much,' he reminds the crowd of supporters. Behind him, seated in the front row, the Bourges faces of the common base (Les Républicains, MoDem, Renaissance, Horizons) applaud.