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Associated Press
February 9,
2003
Summary:
Article written on the day of the 2003 elections,
in which the opposition party won 21 of 24 seats from what had been
the ruling party for decades.
Monaco Votes For Parliamentary Seats
February 9, 2003
MONACO - Opinion polls were forbidden as always, but for the
first time a TV campaign was waged ahead of Sunday's vote to fill
the 24 parliamentary seats in this Mediterranean principality best
known as a playground for the rich. There were even burning issues
as the opposition tried to upset the old order that has had a
monopoly on the National Council for three decades. Two parties
were facing off in the balloting: the Democratic National Union led
by Jean-Louis Campora, president of the National Council for the
past decade, and the opposition Union for Monaco, led by Stephane
Valeri. Monaco, with some 5,800 eligible voters, does not allow
opinion polls ahead of the election and exit polls are banned. But
representatives, who were being selected for five-year terms, were
allowed to wage their campaigns on television for the first time.
Politics in Monaco? Yes, even in this Riviera enclave that is
smaller than New York's Central Park and usually brings to mind tax
breaks, sumptuous casinos, beaches and Formula I racing. Prince
Rainier III, Monaco's ruler for the past 53 years, stays out of the
fray. The Union for Monaco, a coalition that includes the National
Union for the Future of Monaco and Promotion of the Monegasque
Family, has portrayed itself as the embodiment of the new generation
in its bid to get a foothold in the National Council. Campora -
whose party has held all seats for 30 years - campaigned on the
theme of political continuity. Campora, president of the first
division soccer club AS Monaco, is a local heavyweight. However, a
change in the voting system - a mix of majority and proportional
representation - could potentially give the opposition a place in
the governing body, where seats were increased from 18 to 24.
Issues included renovation of the Princess Grace Hospital and the
process of obtaining Monegasque nationality, desired by some of the
world's wealthy seeking tax breaks. The most intense debate
centered on Monaco's bid for membership in the 44-nation Council of
Europe, with the opposition claiming that Campora's party has
dragged its feet on the issue. Campora's party said the question
needed scrupulous study to be certain the principality loses nothing
if admitted. Official results were not expected before Monday morning. |
