Editing Allier (section)

== Politics and administration ==

=== Prefecture ===
Valérie Hatsch is prefect of Allier since 28 March 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=La préfète - Valérie HATSCH |url=https://www.allier.gouv.fr/la-prefete-valerie-hatsch-a3623.html |website=allier.gouv.fr |publisher=Prefecture of Allier |access-date=29 November 2022 |language=French |date=31 March 2022 |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129185921/https://www.allier.gouv.fr/la-prefete-valerie-hatsch-a3623.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Jean-Luc Marx, the prefect of [[Lot (department)|Lot]], was named the prefect of Allier on 1 June 2011, replacing Pierre Monzani who was appointed Prefect of [[Seine-et-Marne]] on 25 May 2011.

Monzani had been prefect of Allier since 14 January 2009. Born on 12 May 1958 in [[Villerupt]] ([[Meurthe-et-Moselle]]), he holds a civil service ''agrégation'' in history and a ''DEA'' in history and civilization. A former student of the [[École Normale Supérieure]] ([[Saint-Cloud]]) and of [[École nationale d'administration]] (ENA), since August 2006 he has been director of INHES (National Institute of Advanced Security Studies).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hcfdc.org/trophees/docs/cv/monzani.pdf|title=HCFDC Pierre Monzani}}</ref>

=== Two senators ===
After 2020 Senate elections, the two senators of Allier are Bruno Rojouan and [[Claude Malhuret]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Résultats des élections sénatoriales 2020 |url=https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Archives/Archives-elections/Elections-senatoriales-2020/elecresult__senatoriales-2020/(path)/senatoriales-2020/003/index.html |website=interieur.gouv.fr |access-date=29 November 2022 |language=French}}</ref>

In the Senate elections in 2008 the left took one of the two Senate seats in Allier formerly held by the right. Mireille Schurch, [[French Communist Party|PCF]] Mayor of [[Lignerolles, Allier|Lignerolles]], was elected:

* [[Gérard Dériot]] [[Miscellaneous right|DVD]]
* [[Mireille Schurch]] [[French Communist Party|PCF]]

=== Representatives in the National Assembly ===
The elections of 2007 returned three Socialists ([[Bernard Lesterlin]] for Montluçon, [[Jean Mallot]] for Saint-Pourçain, and [[Guy Chambefort]] for Moulins) and one PRG ([[Gérard Charasse]] for Vichy).

The current representatives are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/|title=Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français|first=Assemblée|last=Nationale|website=Assemblée nationale}}</ref>!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|French Communist Party}}" |
| [[Allier's 1st constituency]]
| [[Yannick Monnet]]
| [[French Communist Party]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|National Rally}}" |
| [[Allier's 2nd constituency]]
| [[Jorys Bovet]]
| [[National Rally]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|The Republicans (France)}}" |
| [[Allier's 3rd constituency]]
| [[Nicolas Ray]]
| [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]]
|}

=== Departmental Council ===

{{main|Departmental Council of Allier}}

The current president of the Departmental Council is Claude Riboulet, elected in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Delacou|first1=Antoine|title=Claude Riboulet succède à Gérard Dériot à la présidence du conseil départemental de l'Allier|url=http://www.lamontagne.fr/moulins/politique/allier/2017/09/25/claude-riboulet-succede-a-gerard-deriot-a-la-presidence-du-conseil-departemental-de-l-allier_12564770.html|website=Lamontagne.fr|language=fr|date=25 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/allier/moulins/claude-riboulet-succede-gerard-deriot-tete-du-conseil-departemental-allier-1334537.html|title=Claude Riboulet succède à Gérard Dériot à la tête du Conseil départemental de l'Allier|website=France 3|language=fr|date=25 September 2017}}</ref> In the [[2021 French departmental elections|2021 departmental election]], the Departmental Council of Allier was elected as follows:<ref>[https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Elections/Les-resultats/Departementales/elecresult__departementales-2021/(path)/departementales-2021/003/index.html Résultats des élections départementales 2021: Allier (03)], Ministère de l'intérieur</ref>

{| class=wikitable
!colspan=2| Party || Seats
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Miscellaneous Right}}" |
|[[Miscellaneous right]] ||align="right"| 20
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Socialist Party (France)}}" |
|[[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]] ||align="right"| 6
|-
! style="background-color: #82A2C6" |
|Centre-right ||align="right"| 4
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|French Communist Party}}" |
|[[French Communist Party]] ||align="right"| 2
|-
! style="background-color: #b9daff" |
|Right ||align="right"| 2
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|The Republicans (France)}}" |
|[[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]] ||align="right"| 2
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Left Radical Party}}" |
|[[Left Radical Party]] ||align="right"| 2
|-
|}

In the local elections of March 2008, Allier department was won by a majority of the left. The URB (Republican Union for Bourbonnais, right) had headed the department between 2001 and 2008, with the last year with only one vote majority. From 2008 the left coalition was in control also with a majority of one vote (10 PC, 6 PS, 2 PRG, 18 seats in total), facing 17 councilors from the URB.

=== History of the left in Allier ===
The department was distinguished by communist votes in early voting which continued until after the [[Second World War]] with the two major political parties of the left being the [[French Communist Party|PCF]] and the [[SFIO]] which have now become the Socialist Party.

The small town of [[Commentry]] has the distinction of being the first town in France<ref name="Agnès Roche p. 111">Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 111 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> to elect a socialist mayor in 1882: [[Christophe Thivrier]]. Another local figure, [[Pierre Brizon]], an MP in 1910, was typically a member for sharecroppers.<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 108–109 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

Earlier, Ledru-Rollin achieved a very good result in 1848 (14%) with Democratic and socialist candidates in the following year (44% of the vote, against 35% for all of France).<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 109 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Similarly, resistance to the coup of 2 December 1851 was important after an attempt to support the uprising in June 1849.<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 109–110 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Republicans were in the majority in 1876 and held all six parliamentary seats.<ref name="Agnès Roche p. 111" /> After neighbouring results of 15% of enrolled voters from 1893 to 1906 the Socialists rose to 31% of enrolled votes (42% of those cast) in 1910 and maintained this in 1914<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 111–112 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

Allier remains a land of rural communism (still 14.66% in the 2004 regional elections – the second best result for the party after [[Somme (department)|Somme]]) in a sometimes difficult cohabitation with the Socialist Party.

For the causes of their success it may be noted that historically Allier has been a department where vast properties were combined into [[sharecropping]]. Sharecropping only spread in the 15th century<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 105 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> and was not disturbed by the sale of national assets to the Revolution.<ref name=Roche106>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 106 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> In the 19th century large properties (100 hectares or more) occupied about half of the land, and even more than 70% in the north of the department. In the south, small properties dominate.<ref name=Roche106 />

Sharecropping continued as a form of land development and it involved 40% of the land in 1892 (only 7% overall for France).<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), p. 107 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Adverse conditions made sharecroppers promote the creation of rural unions between 1904 and 1911 (the third greatest number per department in France after [[Hérault]] and [[Landes (department)|Landes]]). Despite poor results the mobilization was important and promoted the election of left-wing candidates.<ref>Agnès Roche, ''A favourable breeding-ground'', Études rurales 3/2004 (No. 171–172), pp. 107–108 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
* [[List of senators of Allier]]
* [[Communes of the Allier department]]