Poitiers: pregnant, mayor Leonore Moncond’huy will suspend her functions for eight weeks

The pregnant mayor of Poitiers (Vienna) was invited to the last municipal council. On Monday, according to La Nouvelle République, Leonore Moncond’huy announced to elected officials that she would interrupt her duties between March 15 and May 15 due to sick leave.

In this situation, the law does not provide specific provisions for elected officials, as the Association of French Mayors (AMF) points out in Le Parisien. We are talking about supporting employees: the mayor must take a vacation of at least eight weeks: two before giving birth and six after – that is, from March 15 to May 15. His first assistant will temporarily perform duties for this period. Leonora Moncond’hui will also no longer receive her elected official’s compensation, but will receive per diem paid by the health insurance system.

“An obstacle to political interaction”

“This problem reflects the obstacles that exist and still prevent young parents, especially women, from planning political functions,” MP Julie Reynard responded to La Nouvelle République newspaper. “It is very important to recognize that motherhood or fatherhood should not be a barrier to political participation,” she added. According to a local daily, the entire council called for the development of the law and legislative framework.

This is not the first time that a pregnant mayor has encountered a similar situation. In 2019, the mayor of Déciza (Nièvres), Justine Guillot, also had to interrupt her duties during maternity leave, Le Journal du Center reported at the time. “We absolutely need to reconsider this status if we want to encourage young women to participate in public life. We won’t have to choose between the two (…). What I would like is to be able to take maternity leave while still fulfilling my mandate,” she protested, lamenting that “a mayor on sick leave can continue to be mayor if he receives a medical certificate, but cannot continue working during maternity leave.