divorce proceedings between two municipalities

The procedure is rather rare. In Maine-et-Loire, two merged municipalities want to separate.

This is Morannes-sur-Sarthe, itself born in 2016 from the merger of Morannes and Chemiré-sur-Sarthe, who filed for divorce. In May 2020, the prefect of Maine-et-Loire was seized by a collective led by the former mayor of Morannes-sur-Sarthe. He launched a petition collecting the signatures of more than a third of voters enrolled in Morannes-sur-Sarthe. His argument: Daumeray benefits more from the merger.

An election to appoint a commission

Prefecture call an election March 26 for the first round, then April 2 if a second is needed, not to elect a mayor but a committee which will give an opinion on the secondment. Its fifteen members will have to decide on whether or not to maintain the merger. Their advisory opinion will be given to the prefect. The departmental council and the municipal councils will then vote, before the final opinion of the prefect.

It exists few “demerger” precedents. We can cite the community of Monts et Vallées Ouest Creuse which had broken up in 2020.