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Charente Department Placed Under State Oversight After Budget Deadlock

The prefecture has imposed rare tutelle as political divisions prevent adoption of the €615 million budget, with the CRC tasked to draft a new proposal within a month.

Overview

  • The Charente departmental council failed to pass its €615 million budget during a final vote on April 22, 2025, following weeks of political gridlock.
  • The prefecture has placed the department under tutelle, an extraordinary measure for a jurisdiction serving 350,000 residents and employing 2,000 people.
  • The Regional Audit Chamber (CRC) has been tasked with creating a replacement budget within one month, which the prefect will formalize within 20 days of its submission.
  • President Philippe Bouty, facing internal dissent and calls for resignation, has pledged to collaborate with the prefect to minimize the impact of the intervention.
  • Deep fractures within the left-wing majority, including abstentions by dissident councillors, have been central to the repeated budget rejections.