Municipal elections: can an employee take time off to campaign?

An employee has the right to take time off to participate in an election campaign if he is himself a candidate for a parliamentary or local mandate. The length of these absences varies according to the type of election. For municipal elections, 10 working days are allowed.

Since 29 December 2019, this right is open regardless of the population of the commune where the employee applies and no longer only reserved to communes of at least 1,000 inhabitants.

In practice

The employee must notify his employer at least 24 hours before the start of each absence (of at least half a full day). Such leave shall not be remunerated unless the employee requests that such days of absence be deducted from his leave. They may also be recovered, but only with the agreement of the employer.

Paid or not, these days of absence are taken into account for the calculation of seniority and paid leave entitlements.