Lyon, April 23 – The first substantive Metropolitan Council meeting under the presidency of Véronique Sarselli (LR) on April 22 was characterized by sharp exchanges and tensions with the left-wing opposition. Following a smooth installation ceremony on March 26, this session brought to the forefront key deliberations for the mandate, including the appointment of representatives to external bodies, the formation of political groups, and the setting of elected officials’ allowances.
Disputes Over External Body Representation and Political Groups
Out of 621 titular and substitute seats to be filled in 94 external organizations (Sytral, Musée des Confluences, Sdmis, social landlords, etc.), more than 500 were allocated to the ‘Grand cœur lyonnais’ majority, with around one hundred going to ecologists, socialists, and communists. Renaud Payre (Voix commune!) criticized this distribution, stating, “In 2020, a quarter of the seats in external bodies were open to the opposition. You did not make the same choice, restricting the opposition’s place. This is regrettable.” Notably, the Rassemblement National and La France Insoumise secured no seats.
Left-wing elected officials also expressed dismay that no preliminary speaking time was scheduled at the beginning of the session. Sarselli later allowed groups to speak upon request. This provided an opportunity for the three communists and three ‘insoumis’ – who cannot form independent political groups due to the minimum number of elected officials being raised from two to five – to voice their concerns. Michèle Picard (PCF) denounced this as “an attack on democracy and freedom of opinion,” while the ‘insoumis’ deemed the deliberation potentially “irregular.”
Sarselli responded firmly, stating, “Two elected officials is a slightly extended individual expression,” and encouraged the communists and ‘insoumis’ to unite to form a group. She reassured them that if they chose to remain non-aligned, “each metropolitan elected official retains their rights, to make proposals, to sit on committees, to speak in the metropolitan council. We, at Grand cœur lyonnais, have chosen to remain united as during the election campaign and before the voters.”
Controversy Over Cabinet Staffing and Car Fleets
The ecologists, led by Matthieu Vieira, further attacked the majority for seeking to “offer itself a complete and maximum package of authorized means.” This referred to the decision to set the maximum number of Véronique Sarselli’s cabinet collaborators at 19. Vieira commented, “We had voluntarily chosen to remain at an average of 14 or 15 collaborators, and even 12 at the end of the mandate, consistent with the efforts requested from all departments.”
The President of the Métropole responded sharply, “I am very surprised because nothing has changed. In reality, the legal maximum is 20, it was set at 19 in 2020, but we can obviously have a number of people in the cabinet well below that. So before making an accusation, I invite you to wait for the formation of the cabinet.”
Adding to the controversy, the Métropole de Lyon reinstated a fleet of official cars, which had been abolished by Sarselli’s predecessor, Bruno Bernard (Les Écologistes). This decision also drew criticism from the opposition.
Moments of Tension and Small Concessions
Despite the tense atmosphere, Véronique Sarselli made a concession during the session, allowing three of the seven non-aligned elected officials (one communist, one ‘insoumis’, and the center-left elected official Didier Vullierme) to participate in the drafting of the internal regulations, a task normally reserved for political groups. However, this was deemed insufficient by the left-wing elected officials, who chose to leave the room.
Between moments of tension and raised voices, Sarselli managed to elicit a few smiles from her opposition. For instance, when the economics lecturer at IAE of Lyon 3 University humorously adopted her teaching persona as the assembly seemed eager for lunch, stating, “Don’t start packing up your things, we’re not finished.” Indeed, the mandate has only just begun.
The debates also touched upon the 2030 Olympic Games in Lyon, with Sarselli and Pannekoucke reportedly calming the enthusiasm of Doucet regarding the event.
Source: https://www.affiches-parisiennes.com/69000-lyon/metropole-de-lyon-rentree-des-classes-animee-pour-la-nouvelle-presidente-sarselli-245027.html
