He had always said that he had no intention of completing his second term, which began in 2021. Georges Meric announced this Tuesday, first to the elected representatives of his majority, his resignation from the presidency of the departmental council of Haute-Garonne.
The socialist, who will be 75 years old in December, formalized his decision in the departmental hemicycle at the start of the afternoon. “I need a rest,” he explained. I need time first for mine, which I have too often neglected”. A lover of philosophy, the grandfather of “four grandchildren aged 6 to 18” also wants to catch up on his late reading. And take care of his health, after years of “evasion”. Defining himself as a “dinosaur”, disappointed by the evolution of a society where there is nothing more than “superficiality”.
Elected for the first time to the cantonal elections of 1988 in the canton of Escalquens, near Toulouse, Georges Méric became president in 2015. He decided to no longer sit and leaves his place to his deputy Patrice Arseguel.
Sébastien Vincini is acting
In the immediate future, Georges Méric, a former geriatrician, will be replaced as president by the first vice-president of the departmental council, Sebastien Vincini, in charge of finance and number three of the PS at the national level. Then, during the week, there should be an internal vote at the local PS, before the election of the new president on December 13.
In the 2021 elections, the PS and its allies had retained their majority in the departmental assembly, with 23 of the 27 cantons, and Georges Méric had been re-elected with 65% of the votes in that of Escalquens.