Around 200 people welcomed the installation of the new municipal team with applause on Saturday at the multipurpose hall in Plonéour-Lanvern (29), in Pays Bigouden. A true citizen movement!
The town of 6,500 inhabitants has experienced a “revolution” in the 2026 municipal elections. After half a century of right and center-right governance, the town took a different direction. A citizen-driven and participatory list, with left-leaning and ecological values, won the election, six years after an unsuccessful attempt. They secured 47% of the votes, defeating two center-right lists, including the incumbent mayor’s, who was 33 points behind.
This collective, led by the new mayor, Jean-Baptiste Huet, was one of the twenty-three successful citizen-led and participatory lists in Brittany (out of 159 in France out of 704 candidate lists, compared to 66 out of 380 in 2020). Elisabeth Dau, director of studies at the cooperative organization, noted a real citizen movement in the region around these lists aiming for ecological, social, and democratic transition.
The Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Morbihan regions are among the top 5 French departments with the best representation. From Saint-Armel to Telgruc-sur-Mer, Kergrist to Malansac, Châteaubourg to Concarneau, and Dinan to Plouguerneau, these lists played a role in energizing the municipal campaigns in Brittany.
In Plonéour-Lanvern, citizen participation increased by 16 points in six years, with the remodeled citizen list gaining an additional 722 votes. The new team plans to focus on improving the quality of relationships between elected officials, staff, and residents, enhancing citizen participation, and establishing extra-municipal commissions.
The mayor, Jean-Baptiste Huet, expressed his enthusiasm for starting this term with the public and the two minority groups, hoping to involve them in this democratic renewal.
