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What are some of the mayor's functions?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: The mayor celebrates marriages and is a civil status officer. The mayor and the deputy mayors are civil status officers. They receive birth declarations, celebrate marriages and draw up death certificates. The mayor then acts in the name of the State.
Sources: Sheet “Le maire, officier d'état civil (collectivites-locales.gouv.fr)” (French), read on 15 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✗ The mayor appoints the prefect of the department on his or her ownIl nomme lui-même le préfet du départementThe prefect is appointed in the Council of Ministers, not by the mayor.
- ✗ The mayor judges the town's civil and criminal court cases himself or herselfIl juge lui-même les procès civils et pénaux de la communeCourt cases are judged by the courts, not by the mayor.
- ✗ The mayor votes the laws of the RepublicIl vote les lois de la République au ParlementLaws are voted by Parliament, not by the mayor.
- ✓ The mayor celebrates marriages and is a civil status officerIl célèbre les mariages et il est officier d'état civilCorrect answer. The mayor and the deputy mayors are civil status officers. They receive birth declarations, celebrate marriages and draw up death certificates. The mayor then acts in the name of the State.
What the source says
« Le maire et ses adjoints sont officiers d’état civil (article L. 2122-32 du CGCT). »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 15 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « Quelles sont des fonctions du maire ? ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question comes from the list of the naturalisation version of the exam (PDF relayed by Le Français des affaires, read on 14 October 2026; the Ministry's own page for this list did not answer). The list's wording: “Quelles sont les fonctions du maire ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “Le maire, officier d'état civil (collectivites-locales.gouv.fr)” (French).
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