06 March, 2014

The municipal campaign turns vicious

La campagne électorale vire à l'aigre. Deux candidats mis en cause par des tracts ou des tweets anonymes, Jean-Luc Rotureau et Christophe Béchu, ont décidé de porter plainte. M. Béchu serait accusé d'avoir eu recours aux services d'une société de communication dirigée par sa femme pour de précédentes campagnes électorales. Mais les avis recueillis auprès d'Anticor et de la justice n'ont rien révélé d'illégal.

The electoral campaign is turning sour. Two of the candidates were due to bring a complaint after they were accused by anonymous persons. Jean-Luc Rotureau was attacked through a leaflet, something he had already denounced in an interview by Ouest-France, pointing out he was aware of the origin of that document. Christophe Béchu has just been under an attack through a message published on Twitter by another anonymous internet user.

Regarding the second candidate, that one would be blamed to have called on Peptine conseils' services, a company managed by Marie-Hortense Béchu, Mr. Béchu's wife, for communication works about his municipal, european and regional campaigns of 2008, 2009 and 2010. The daily Ouest-France reports that several bills coming from Peptine conseils are joined to the accusations, for a total of € 160 000. According to Annnick Planchon, the Maine-et-loire delegate of Anticor, a national community dedicated to promote rigour in the management of public issues by political representatives, "those pratices have nothing illegal. But, from an ethical standpoint, it's more worrying". According to the anonymous internet user, the Peptime conseils would have also got contracts with companies having themselves deals with the Maine-et-Loire general council, an authority Mr. Béchu directs. On that case too, the district attorney said nothing was illegal. 
The leader of the list Angers pour vous filed a complain for defamation. "I want to find out who is behind this", said Mr. Béchu who added that "such behaviours make me  vomit". According to Ouest-France, several anonymous blogs or Twitter counts target all candidates to Angers mayor office.

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