The names of the candidates for mayor of Arcis-sur-Aube have drawn global attention.

An upcoming mayoral runoff in the small French town of Arcis-sur-Aube has drawn global attention due to the unusual surnames of two candidates

Ironically and amusingly, the candidates’ names closely resemble those of National Socialist leader Adolf Hitler and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.

Mayor Charles Hittler is seeking reelection in a three-way second round on Sunday. He will face Annie Soucat and Antoine Renault-Zielinski in this round. Last weekend, he led the first round of voting.

Hittler has governed the community of less than 3,000 in the Grand Est region since 2020. He is in the lead following the first round. He received 37.81% of the vote.

He was followed by Soucat with 32.20% and Renault-Zielinski with 29.99%, Le Figaro reported.

What stopped Hittler from changing his name?

Online jokes about the election have gone too far, the mayor told the BBC. ‘I’ve seen online articles saying ‘37% of the people of Arcis are Hitlerites!’ My wife is in tears.’

The 75-year-old former lab chief said his family comes from Alsace, a French region bordering Germany. He considered changing his name when he married in 1949, but decided the administrative burden was not worth it.

‘Once you are known, the name begins not to matter. People look at the person behind the name. To my familiars, I was just ‘Monsieur Charles.’ So, I decided to keep it,’ he said.

Hittler’s campaign is nonpartisan and center-right.

Renault-Zielinski, 28, is also running as an independent. However, the right-wing Patriots party, led by Florian Philippot, supports his candidacy.

The second part of his family name is Polish rather than Ukrainian and comes from his maternal side.

The customs officer said he frequently receives questions about a possible connection to the Ukrainian leader. This has been happening since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.

‘People are often curious; they say things like ‘your cousin Zelensky,’ asking me if we might be related.

Renault-Zielinski said he understands why his contest with Hittler is seen as amusing. However, he does not find the situation particularly funny. He also does not find it offensive.

‘As long as it stays good-natured,’ he said, ’it helps to put Arcis-sur-Aube in the spotlight. If it allows some people to discover our town, we should take it!’

The municipality is known as the site of a major battle during the Napoleonic wars. Austro-Russian troops defeated the outnumbered French forces in this battle.

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