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French parliamentarians just love elections. According to figures published by Libération, 10% of Germany’s MPs hold another elected office. The same goes for 13% of the MPs in the UK, 15% in Spain, 16% in Italy. But in France, a whopping 82% of the MPs are moonlighting. The Parisian daily remarks that “many of them cling to this particularly French setup, the idea being that one can be a good deputy, a good mayor and president of the regional council at one and the same time”. This issue of pluralism, a continual bone of contention in French politics, is being put to the vote within the Socialist Party on 1 October, a day devoted to the party’s renewal. Coming out against holding multiple offices would give the left wing, “which is already lagging behind on a number of issues (…), a chance to set an example by getting rid of its own barons – and to force the right wing to do likewise,” comments Libération.
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