Departmental council (France)


The departmental councils of France are representative assemblies elected by universal suffrage in 98 of the country's 101 departments. Prior to the 2015 French departmental elections they were known as general councils.

History

The Law of 22 December 1789 required the establishment of an assembly in each department, known as the council of the department. This law was repealed on 4 December 1793; it was restored as the "law on the division of the territory of the Republic and its administration" on 17 February 1800, in which, "General Council of the departments" were formed. At this time, the name "General Council" was also used by town and district councils.
The members of the general council were not elected until 1833; they were first elected by universal manhood suffrage on 3 July 1848. The first female president of a department council was Évelyne Baylet in Tarn-et-Garonne in 1970.
Until the passing of the Law of 2 March 1982 on the rights and freedoms of communes, departments, and regions, the prefect in each department was not only the state's representative in that department but also embodied in his or her person the department's executive; since 1982, the latter function has been transferred to the president of the departmental council.
Law 175 of 26 February 2008 states that there must be at least one candidate of each gender in all departmental council elections.

List of departmental council presidents

No.DepartmentPresidentPartySince
01AinJean DeguerryLR2017
02AisneNicolas FricoteauxUDI2015
03AllierClaude RibouletUDI2017
04Alpes-de-Haute-ProvenceRené MassettePS2017
05Hautes-AlpesJean-Marie BernardLR2015
06Alpes-MaritimesCharles-Ange GinésyLR2017
07ArdècheLaurent UghettoPS2017
08ArdennesNoël BourgeoisDVD2017
09AriègeHenri NayrouPS2014
10AubePhilippe PicheryDVD2017
11AudeAndré ViolaPS2011
12AveyronJean-François GalliardUDI2017
13Bouches-du-RhôneMartine VassalLR2015
14CalvadosJean-Léonce DupontUDI2011
15CantalBruno FaureLR2017
16CharenteFrançois BonneauDVD2015
17Charente-MaritimeDominique BussereauLR2008
18CherMichel AutissierLR2015
19CorrèzePascal CosteLR2015
21Côte-d'OrFrançois SauvadetUDI2008
22Côtes-d'ArmorAlain CadecLR2015
23CreuseValérie SimonetLR2015
24DordogneGerminal PeiroPS2015
25DoubsChristine BouquinDVD2015
26DrômeMarie-Pierre MoutonLR2017
27EurePascal LehongreLR2017
28Eure-et-LoirClaude TérouinardLR2017
29FinistèreNathalie SarrabezollesPS2015
30GardDenis BouadPS2015
31Haute-GaronneGeorges MéricPS2015
32GersPhilippe MartinPS2014
33GirondeJean-Luc GleyzePS2015
34HéraultKléber MesquidaPS2015
35Ille-et-VilaineJean-Luc ChenutPS2015
36IndreSerge DescoutLR2016
37Indre-et-LoireJean-Gérard PaumierLR2016
38IsèreJean-Pierre BarbierLR2015
39JuraClément PernotLR2015
40LandesXavier FortinonPS2017
41Loir-et-CherNicolas PerruchotLR2017
42LoireGeorges ZieglerLR2017
43Haute-LoireJean-Pierre MarconUDI2014
44Loire-AtlantiquePhilippe GrosvaletPS2011
45LoiretMarc GaudetDVD2017
46LotSerge RigalPS2014
47Lot-et-GaronnePierre CamaniPS2008
48LozèreSophie PantelPS2015
49Maine-et-LoireChristian GilletDVD2014
50MancheMarc LefèvreLR2017
51MarneChristian BruyenLR2017
52Haute-MarneNicolas LacroixLR2017
53MayenneOlivier RichefouUDI2017
54Meurthe-et-MoselleMathieu KleinPS2017
55MeuseClaude LéonardLR2015
56MorbihanFrançois GoulardLR2011
57MosellePhilippe LeroyLR2011
58NièvreAlain LassusPS2017
59NordJean-René LecerfLR2015
60OiseNadège LefebvreLR2017
61OrneChristophe de BalorreLR2017
62Pas-de-CalaisJean-Claude LeroyPS2017
63Puy-de-DômeJean-Yves GouttebelPRG2004
64Pyrénées-AtlantiquesJean-Jacques LasserreMoDem2015
65Hautes-PyrénéesMichel PélieuPRG2011
66Pyrénées-OrientalesHermeline MalherbePS2010
67Bas-RhinFrédéric BierryLR2015
68Haut-RhinBrigitte KlinkertDVD2017
69RhôneChristophe GuilloteauLR2015
70Haute-SaôneYves KrattingerPS2001
71Saône-et-LoireAndré AccaryLR2015
72SartheDominique Le MènerLR2015
73SavoieHervé GaymardLR2008
74Haute-SavoieChristian MonteilDVD2008
76Seine-MaritimePascal MartinPR2015
77Seine-et-MarnePatrick SeptiersUDI2018
78YvelinesPierre BédierLR2014
79Deux-SèvresGilbert FavreauLR2015
80SommeLaurent SomonLR2015
81TarnChristophe RamondPS2017
82Tarn-et-GaronneChristian AstrucSE2015
83VarMarc GiraudLR2015
84VaucluseMaurice ChabertLR2015
85VendéeYves AuvinetDVD2015
86VienneBruno BelinLR2015
87Haute-VienneJean-Claude LebloisPS2015
88VosgesFrançois VannsonLR2015
89YonnePatrick GendraudLR2017
90Territoire de BelfortFlorian BouquetLR2015
91EssonneFrançois DurovrayLR2015
92Hauts-de-SeinePatrick DevedjianLR2007
93Seine-Saint-DenisStéphane TrousselPS2012
94Val-de-MarneChristian FavierPCF2001
95Val-d’OiseMarie-Christine CavecchiLR2017
971GuadeloupeJosette Borel-LincertinPS2015
974La RéunionCyrille MelchiorLR2017
976MayotteAhmed Attoumani DouchinaLR2008

Allowance

The president of a department council has a maximum allowance of per month, the vice-presidents has a maximum allowance of -725.44, members of the standing committee have maximum allowances of -927.13, and departmental advisors have maximum allowances of -2,626 per month.