Valeri crosses the floor in historic move

Under the Constitution, legislative power is divided between the Prince who initiates the laws and the Conseil National who vote on them, which means the latter is in effect representing the interests of the 8,000-plus Monegasque nationals (total population estimated at 35,000). Although its members have strong allegiance to the Prince and his government, they have the right to oppose decisions and force discussions on difficult issues.

In 2003, Valeri and his Union pour Monaco (UMP) party made history when they swept the board at local elections in which, for the first time, opposition members could gain seats in parliament. Up until then it was a question of winner takes all, a one-party-rule which had been dominated by the UND (Union Nationale et Démocratique and the RPM) for 40 years, led in the decade leading up to 2003 by Jean-Louis Campora. At the same time the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, and the number of seats increased to 24 from 17, in line with the standards of the Council of Europe of which Monaco is now a member.

Valeri and his party won 21 of the 24 seats, delivering a devastating vote of no confidence to Campora and his party. It was a feat they were to repeat five years later in 2005 and Valeri is credited with broadly delivering on promises regards social housing, women’s rights and divorce.

Now aged 47 (four years younger than the Prince), Valeri has been active in local politics since his early twenties and is strongly tipped to become the first Monegasque Minister of State when the time is ripe. Under the Constitution and treaty agreed with France in 1962, the Minister of State had to be a French citizen appointed by the Prince (who holds the highest authority) from among candidates proposed by the French government. However, when the treaty was amended in 2002 one of the changes made was that this position can now be held by a Monegasque national should the right candidate emerge.

It seems the time is not yet right. On the same date in December that Valeri was invited to join the government, it was announced that the current Minister of State, Jean-Paul Proust, is to retire at the end of March and that he will be replaced by the French jurist Michel Roger. CL