 Running for re-election as deputy in the 2007 French legislative election, he was surprisingly defeated with 47.1% of the votes in the runoff against Chantal Berthelot (PSG), who won 52.9%.Nonetheless, he was re-elected Mayor of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in 2008 by a large margin.He was nominated as the UMP's top candidate in the 2010 regional elections in French Guiana.