Alain Lambert, President of Orne Council and senator in the upper house of Parliament has been on the campaign trail in the district of Putanges-Pont-Ecrepin. The first round of this by-election, which took place last Sunday, delivered a result which left Mr Lambert just one vote short of victory. Now he and his opponent, Guy Mercier, will stand for a second round next Sunday.

So far this political campaign has been marred by some fairly personal accusations about Mr Lambert’s reasons for ‘suddenly’ becoming so interested in this local by-election. But for him the answer is simple… This election is neither a means in itself nor to fulfil some personal ambition. Mr Lambert was elected President of Orne Council just one year ago, and by taking up this position of councillor for Putanges he can assure his tenure at the head of the executive until 2014. This will allow him five years to follow through with the numerous projects he has put in place (as well as the upcoming reform of local government), offering the départment the best chance of stability and success. He also wishes to ensure a sense of continuity following the resignation of his friend and colleague, Amaury de Saint-Quentin, who had been councillor of Putanges for 15 years.