The choice of Rennes was “obvious”. One month before the first round of the presidential election, Anne Hidalgo’s campaign team wanted to give themselves a hug in a socialist cocoon in the hands of the left since 1977. Barely in the polls where she is only credited 2% of voting intentions, the PS candidate had chosen Brittany to reassure herself and try to launch a campaign that never seems to want to take off. Under the Martenot hall, his team was waiting for a thousand people. We were probably closer to 600, even if the organizers claim to have counted 900. Beyond the quarrels around the figures, one observation is striking. Young people are almost absent from this political meeting, which is nevertheless organized in the heart of downtown Rennes. Apart from the twenty or so socialist activists placed behind the candidate, those under 30 are rare. “People are not in the mood for elections, especially young people. Many will make their choice in the last two weeks. We are barely at the start of the campaign, ”tempers Alexis Bouchard, president of the Movement of Young Socialists of Ille-et-Vilaine.
On Friday evening, the Place des Lices is nevertheless very popular with Breton youth, even in this rainy weather. But more than in the room, they are seated at the many bars that surround the halls. “Seriously, Hidalgo is here? I like him, ”says a young man not yet old enough to vote. “She has good ideas, especially for young people. But I don’t think I will vote for her, ”slips Raphaël, 18 for two months. Sitting on the terrace, the young man is “proud” to be able to vote for the first time. His friends Mathilde and Thylane are like him. “I will go and vote yes. I even have power of attorney for my parents,” says Thylane. But for whom? They don’t know. So why not go listen to Hidalgo? “Yeah, why not. But we’re going to lose our table. I will watch the programs later,” admits Mathilde. “It’s aperitif or Hidalgo”, launches the small group, laughing. They chose the aperitif.
Inside the room, the mayor of Paris takes the floor for an hour to unfold her ideas. Before her, the mayor of Rennes Nathalie Appéré, the president of the region and then of the department took the microphone. In the public, many local elected officials are present in the room to listen to the mayor of Paris, who “calls for a start” and launches his ideas. “The abolition of Parcoursup, the establishment of equal pay between men and women, the wealth tax intended for the ecological transition”. It was this “resolutely left-wing” program that convinced Marin to volunteer. Aged 22, he came from Saint-Malo to attend the meeting and help organize it.
“We see fewer and fewer young people getting involved in politics. This is also what motivated me, because it is becoming rare”.
However, it takes courage to support a given candidacy that has been beaten badly in the institutes’ surveys. “I try to ignore the polls and do as much as I can. We try to be present, to stick together. No matter the score, I will support the Socialist Party”. Even in the event of great disappointment? “I see further than the presidential elections”.
In the ranks of Anne Hidalgo’s supporters, no one wants to hear about her withdrawal. “It would be abandonment, it would be cowardly. It must carry our ideas. Nobody else can do it, ”slips an activist. The head of the local MJS agrees. “She is applying with great courage, I take my hat off to her. Our goal is to get the best possible score. They have already wanted to bury us but we are not dead. Social-democratic ideas will never die,” assures Alexis Bouchard.
Young people at the meeting? They support Mélenchon
At the end of the meeting, we meet a group of young people who attended it. They are involved in La France insoumise but travel to all meetings of the left “to see”. “What I regret is that she tackles the left more than the far right, it’s a shame”. Are they surprised at the age of the audience? ” Not at all. The PS has not been able to evolve, ”they tackle. Less than a month from the first round, the French left advances divided, fragmented. And takes the risk of not seeing the second round. Verdict in less than a month.