Predibane Siva, Chantal Samuel-David and Balaramin Bichat have been elected as Councilors for the French Living Abroad in the elections held on Sunday.
The results of the elections for the southern constituency which were held across six polling booths — four in Puducherry and one each in Chennai and Karaikal — were formally declared by the Consulate General of France in Puducherry on Monday.
A majority of the 4,618 voters registered on the consular registry of the French Consulate in Puducherry, are in the Union Territory of Puducherry. The elections registered a voter turnout of about 33.73%.
In India, there are two constituencies, the north and the south, that elected Councilors, or advisers who represent the needs of the French nationals living abroad. Altogether, there were five candidates each of whom headed a list of six nominees in the electoral fray for the three seats in the southern constituency.
Mr. Siva represented ‘The Experience at the Heart of the French’ list of nominees, Ms. Chantal led the nominees under the ‘Unis pour le Changement’ (United for Change) and Mr. Bichat headed the ‘Together for Progress’ list.
While the Councilors do not represent the State or the Government of France, a role assumed by the Ambassadors and Consuls General, they will fill the role of assisting expatriate French citizens on day-to-day issues (education, health, security, retirement, etc) and to serve as an interface between the expatriate community and the French authorities.
