Administrative court annuls Wittelsheim mayor's election over procedural violations
Wittelsheim's mayor election annulled due to procedural violations identified by administrative court.
Event / Politics
Wittelsheim Municipal Election Annulation
Administrative court of Strasbourg annulled the March 2026 municipal election in Wittelsheim, Haut-Rhin, invalidating the Rassemblement National candidate's victory due to procedural irregularities including undisclosed candidate nationality and improper campaign activity timing.
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2026-10-06 to 2026-10-30 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 6 Oct, 14:50 UTC
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What happened
Schober's election win by narrow 17-vote margin in March 2026 municipal elections
In March 2026, Raphaële Schober defeated centrist incumbent Yves Goepfert by only 17 votes in the municipal election for Wittelsheim, a town of approximately 10,000 inhabitants near Mulhouse. She led substantially in the first round but ultimately succeeded due to the failure of republican front negotiations and the maintenance of four lists in the second round. Her victory made Wittelsheim the only Alsatian municipality governed by the Rassemblement National.
Administrative court annuls election of Raphaële Schober as mayor of Wittelsheim
The administrative court of Strasbourg annulled on October 6, 2026, the election of Raphaële Schober to the position of mayor of Wittelsheim in Haut-Rhin. Schober, a former retired gendarme, had won the March 2026 municipal election with a margin of only 17 votes against incumbent centrist mayor Yves Goepfert. Wittelsheim was the only Alsatian municipality conquered by the Rassemblement National in the March 2026 elections. The court found that the election was tainted by irregularities that altered the integrity of the ballot.
Schober has one month to decide whether to appeal court ruling to Council of State
Following the October 6 annulment decision, Raphaële Schober has one month from notification to decide whether to appeal the administrative court's ruling to the Council of State (Conseil d'État). If she appeals, the municipal council members declared elected will remain in office pending final resolution. If the election annulment becomes final, new elections must be organized within three months.
Court identifies ballot irregularity regarding candidate's nationality disclosure
The court found that ballots used in the first round for a third-place list failed to indicate the Italian nationality of one candidate, in violation of electoral code provisions requiring complete voter information. This omission was identified as one of two irregularities that justified annulling the election.
Public rapporteur recommends annulment of Wittelsheim election before court ruling
On September 29, 2026, the rapporteure publique (public rapporteur) advised the administrative court to annul the Wittelsheim election. The court subsequently followed this recommendation in its October 6 ruling.
Prefect and former mayor file legal challenges to Wittelsheim election
The prefect of Haut-Rhin and former mayor Yves Goepfert filed separate appeals for annulment of the March 2026 Wittelsheim municipal election. The prefect filed on April 8, 2026, and Goepfert filed on March 26, 2026, both contesting the election results based on alleged irregularities.
Court cites late campaign Facebook posts by RN candidate as electoral irregularity
The court determined that Facebook posts written by a Rassemblement National candidate at the end of the campaign constituted a new element of electoral controversy that came too late for opposing political candidates to respond effectively. This was cited as the second irregularity justifying the election annulment.
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