Local elections 2026: in Livarot-Pays-d'Auge, residents appearing on a list claim they did not give their "consent"

Less than 10 days before the first round of the municipal elections, several people on a candidate's list in Livarot-Pays-d'Auge (Calvados) claim they did not give their permission to be included and are demanding the cancellation of the list.

Three people spoke to our colleagues at Ouest-France. Listed in 21st, 27th, and 28th positions on the list of far-left candidate Didier Prat, they all describe the same process. "Two people, including Didier Prat, came to my door and introduced themselves as candidates. I told them I wasn't interested," says one of these running mates. He eventually signed a document and showed his ID, but according to him, it wasn't a Cerfa form, which is mandatory to validate his candidacy. He has decided to file a complaint with the police. "I did not give my consent," he specified.

He "did not mention the fact that he was running for election."

A couple reportedly experienced the same ordeal, according to Ouest-France. They also say they received a visit from the candidate of the "Defense of the Population and Public Services – Refusal to Relay Government Austerity" list.

"He initially insisted on getting my wife's signature, then he came back, asked me for my ID, my voter registration card, and to write a sentence," describes the now-running mate, who maintains that Didier Prat "did not mention the fact that he was running for election."

The candidate defended himself to the Pays d'Auge. "The prefecture validated the list and its 69 members, therefore the Cerfa forms submitted [...] these Cerfa forms, official documents, contain the sentence copied by hand by each candidate," he notably declared. Speaking to Ouest-France, he stated that "when you provide a photocopy of your identity card and copy a sentence onto the Cerfa form, there is no ambiguity." According to him, these three people were "clearly subjected to pressure." The outgoing mayor is not running for re-election. According to Ouest-France, the Livarot gendarmerie confirmed the existence of at least one complaint against two people. The Lisieux public prosecutor's office declined to comment to the local press. The new municipality of Livarot-Pays-d'Auge, part of the Lisieux Normandie urban community, has just over 6,000 inhabitants. The outgoing mayor, Frédéric Legouverneur, did not wish to run for re-election. Four lists of candidates were submitted: "Defense of the population and public services – refusal to perpetuate government austerity" by Didier Prat, "A new impetus for Livarot-Pays-d'Auge" by Jonathan Blin, "Springtime for Livarot-Pays-d'Auge, renewal for our 22 municipalities" by Gilles Desseigne, and "Let's act for the future" by Yohann-Cédric Tellier.