The post about what farmer J has been up to and voting day

farmer J top left, running for Maire Suzanne Deleris in the red coat and the opposition

In each commune if France today it has been polling day, we had our first vote after being here nearly ten years and being asked to go on the electoral register back in December last year by two ladies who wanted to discuss Najac. We later found out by attending  a meeting the following week this was the beginning of a new party wanting to bring Najac out of the dying village that it is.

What we thought was a public meeting wasn't. It was the coming together of like minded Najacoise. It was a long meeting where my brain switched of at around10.30pm trying to understand the local accent (and french). Being invited to the next meeting (farmer J seemed to have some good points he put forward - I had kept quiet) declining with excuses of time / language etc it wasn't until a few weeks ago that we had a visit (or three) from different members asking for farmer J to go on the list of candidates to be voted in to be councillors. Again excuses of lack of time and language were explained but they needed an agriculture and etranger to complete their list of fifteen. In the end farmer J agreed to join and has since then been to numerous  meetings and received many emails.

Something of a novelty he  has been in the local paper. Front page colour photo (he couldn't catch a chicken to join him in that) with an interview inside. Not wanting to be in the limelight this he found a tad difficult even worse he had to get up in front of a local public meeting to discuss the parties aims for the agricultural side. He done well with only a bit of Franglais ( I am more or less perfect in speaking and understanding Franglais )

So today he was at the village hall showing his face. Voting finishes this evening when votes are counted and displayed. Voting was a bit confusing to us anyone can put themselves forward to be Maire ( if your french) which as far as i can work out you then have fifteen members on your team who can be voted in. Najac had two lists and two individuals going for Maire. Four pieces of paper with names of all fifteen members for each party and one each for the individual guys.

To vote you can choose up to fifteen names all the rest have a line put through them before they go into a tiny envelope then in the ballot box. Now the names you choose do not have to be from the same lists so Najac could have a interesting make up of councillors, with different views on how things should be run. The people with the most votes are then put in for the second stage of voting next Sunday.

Farmer J doesn't think his got a hope in being voted on and wont be at all offended if his not, he saw this as helping a group of people who are desperate to change a small village. He was told this morning he wouldn't get voted - you need to of lived here for 30 years and be a third generation Najacoise to have any chance, (being a small  village in the back and beyond its all a bit local) The previous Maire didn't think he would get in, its said he didn't really want the job before that the Maire was the longest running Maire of France who got in just after the war. So its time for a change.