The municipal elections in Romilly-sur-Seine, a commune in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, have been annulled nearly six months after the election of its new mayor. This means the residents must return to the polls to choose a new mayor. The administrative court in Châlons-en-Champagne decided on October 1st to annul the election of Adam Da Mota, a candidate from the DVC (Droite Véritable et Chrétienne) party, due to an irregularity identified by the prefecture. The issue concerned the ballots used in the first round of the election, where the Dutch nationality of one of the candidates was omitted from the list of candidates on the ballot paper, a detail required by French electoral law. During an administrative hearing on September 17th, the public rapporteur noted that this omission could have influenced voters and compromised the sincerity of the ballot. The court agreed, stating that the ballots in question might have affected voters' choices, which was a key factor in its decision. The issue of whether voters were adequately informed and whether their choices were truly free and fair was central to the court's reasoning. In a statement shared on Facebook after the decision was announced, Adam Da Mota said he accepted the court's ruling and respected it with humility. He noted that the ballot in question had been reviewed and approved by the propaganda committee, and that the Dutch nationality of the candidate was added during the second round of the election. However, the court argued that the absence of this detail in the first round could have influenced some voters' decisions. The mention of a foreign nationality is significant in French municipal elections, as foreign residents who are not French citizens have limited roles in local government. They cannot hold positions such as deputy mayor or mayor, and they are not eligible to vote in senatorial elections. At the moment, neither the town hall nor the prefecture has announced a date for the new election, though the 15,000 residents of Romilly-sur-Seine are expected to vote again in the coming weeks. The DVD (Divers Droites) list, led by the centrist candidate and 29-year-old economics and management professor, Tous unis, réveillons Romilly, won the second round with 36.25% of the vote, following a four-way contest. This candidate now has the chance to take over the mayoral position from Eric Vuillemin, who had led the commune for eighteen years.