Hittler up against Zielinski in viral election in French town

We're all thinking the same thing

In Arcis-sur-Aube, which has a population of 2,785, current mayor Charles Hittler is running for re-election against Antoine Renault-Zielinski.

In social media, there has been many humorous posts about the battle between the late German dictator Adolf Hitler and Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's current president.

Hittler, the town’s mayor, told the BBC that “it has gone completely crazy”.

“All my life I've had the occasional joke made about my name. Sometimes people drew moustaches on my election posters. It was never a big deal”, he said.

“But now it's out of control. I've seen online articles saying ‘37% of the people of Arcis are Hitlerites!’. My wife is in tears.”

“If people were talking about the town and our policies, that would be one thing. But all they're interested in is our names”, he added.

Charles Hittler leads a centre-right list in Arcis-sur-Aube, while his opponent, Zielinski, is in the far-right Patriot movement.

Renault-Zielinski, 28, told BFMTV that “people are often asking me if I am related to Zelensky – to which I have to answer no, pointing out that the Polish name ends in an 'i' and the Ukrainian in a 'y'”.

“On Sunday I began seeing messages about our names circulating on X and I thought it was just a silly joke. But gradually I realised that everyone is talking about us!”, he said.

“I can see why people find it amusing. Personally, it doesn't make me laugh, but it doesn't bother me either. It would be better if people were talking about Arcis for other reasons, but at least we're on the map.”

In Sunday’s run-off in Arcis-sur-Aube, which is about 160km (100 miles) southeast of Paris, Hittler runs against Renault-Zielinski and a third candidate, Annie Soucat.

Hittler led by a small margin over the other two, in the first round.