Daniel Gibbs elected Saint-Martin senator after second-round vote

Daniel Gibbs was elected to Saint-Martin’s seat in the French Senate on Sunday, 27 September, The People’s Tribune reported. Gibbs defeated Valérie Damaseau by 13 votes to 11 in the second round, with one of the territory’s 25 senatorial electors abstaining.

The People’s Tribune reported that Damaseau led the first round with 11 votes to Gibbs’s six, but neither candidate reached the 13 votes needed for an absolute majority. Raphaël Sanchez received four votes, outgoing Senator Annick Pétrus received three, Bernadette Venthou-Dumaine received one and Tristan Choppin Haudry de Janvry received none.

Only Gibbs and Damaseau contested the second ballot. The vote was held by an electoral college of designated elected representatives rather than a direct public vote, according to The People’s Tribune.

Gibbs succeeds Pétrus and will serve a six-year mandate. The People’s Tribune also reported that French rules prevent a senator from serving as President or Vice-President of Saint-Martin’s Territorial Council, or as a member of its executive, while allowing a senator to remain an ordinary territorial councillor.