Ali Rabeh was elected mayor of Trappes on October 10 after a first election was annulled for violations of electoral rules by the Left (Génération.s) candidate. But his mandate could be short-lived, as his main opponent denounces “several serious facts” that could lead to a new annulment, as Le Monde reported on October 18.
In a challenge of the election, made to the administrative court mentioned by the daily, Othman Nasrour (Libres!), Ali Rabeh’s opponent, claims that the latter is guilty of “several serious incidents, significant irregularities and fraudulent manoeuvres that can be classified as criminal”. In particular, he writes that despite the annulment of his election in 2020 by the administrative judiciary, he continued to hold office as if he were still mayor. Othman Nasrour relies in particular on an email about a dossier on social housing sent by Ali Rabeh’s campaign manager to the director general of Trappes city services in September 2021. According to Le Monde, he instructed him that “Ali Rabeh’s office is at stake”.
For Othman Nasrour, this is proof that his rival continued his mandate when he was no longer in office, “for electoral purposes”. This constitutes an “illegality of considerable importance”. The objector asks the administrative court to annul the election again and to declare Ali Rabeh ineligible. The first time the election was annulled, a verdict of ineligibility had been issued before it was overturned by the Council of State.