According to information revealed by France Televisions, the government is reportedly considering holding the 2022 presidential election dates on April 10 and 24. The information strongly reacted to the oppositions on Wednesday, Xavier Bertrand (DVD) and Marine Le Pen (RN) in the lead. 20 minutes explains why.
Where does this controversy come from?
The information according to which the dates of the first and second rounds of the presidential election of 2022 would be held on April 10 and 24 raised the oppositions, this Wednesday. The LR candidate for the regional in Hauts-de-France, Xavier Bertrand accused the government of developing an electoral strategy in order to deflect voters from the second round of regional elections. “She did not arrive by chance this information on the date of the presidential election. Don’t you think it could have waited until Monday or Tuesday? All this contributes to abstention. (…) All of this is organized, ”he explained on Europe 1.
Marine Le Pen sees it as a strategy to discourage voters from going to the polls: “We put the first round on the day when the Paca region and Hauts-de-France are on vacation. For the second round, everyone will be on vacation … Do you honestly believe that it is likely to motivate the voters, to position the second round of the presidential election at a time when everyone is in? vacation ? »She asked on France Inter on Wednesday.
Xavier Bertrand: “It did not happen by chance this information on the date of the presidential election. You do not think that it could have waited for Monday or Tuesday? All this also contributes to the abstention (…) Everything it’s organized ” pic.twitter.com/XU7OamB6Dx
– Europe 1 🎧🌍📻 (@ Europe1) June 23, 2021
How are the dates chosen?
Emmanuel Macron took office on May 14, 2017, his mandate therefore ends on May 13, 2022. However, article 7 of the Constitution is clear on this point: the election of the President of the Republic must be held “twenty days at least and not more than thirty-five days before the expiration of the powers of the current president ”. The organization of the first round must therefore take place between April 8 and 23 of next year. Voting must take place on Sunday and the electoral code requires a two-week delay between the two rounds. These regulations leave only two possibilities, the first round must take place on April 10 or 17, and the second round on April 24 or May 1.
Is a presidential election during the school holidays avoidable?
The spring break of the year 2022 is divided in three zones. Shifted by one week each, they run from April 9 to May 9. Whatever the configuration chosen for the organization of the presidential election, it will take place during the school holidays of at least two zones. The dates that leaked this Tuesday both fall during the school holidays in zone B (from April 9 to 25), that is to say that of Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Normandy, Orléans -Tours, Reims, Rennes and Strasbourg.
Why does Marine Le Pen cry out for the encouragement of abstention?
Zone B includes the academies located in Hauts-de-France and Paca, two regions where the LREM scores are either disappointing (Hautes-de-France) or conversely, very good (in Paca) . The president of the National Rally thinks that the abstention, from which its candidates suffered greatly last Sunday, will be stronger because of the school holidays in these regions and sees it as a way of lowering the score of her party (and of her candidacy?) at the next presidential election.
Can this announcement overshadow the second round of the regional as claimed by Xavier Bertrand?
To answer this question, 20 minutes appealed to Bruno Cautrès, researcher at the CNRS and at the Center for Political Research of Sciences Po (Cevipof): “No, he will not have a smoke screen. I understand that the candidates are passionate about their own candidacy, but everyone has perfectly in mind the gigantic level of abstention from the first round (regional) and the very big setback of LREM. “For the researcher, the French, who have only heard about regional for days, will not be diverted by this announcement:” This is not a subject for the vast majority of French people. Moreover, it is the elected officials, Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen or Xavier Bertrand who wanted to preside over the regional ones. “
Bruno Cautrès explains all the same the reason for this enthusiasm for the dates announced: “If we can not say that the regional will have an impact on the presidential election on the side of the voters, they will not be without consequences. “According to him, the results of the regional will be very important for the parties and their supporters:” Who will be the right-wing candidate? Will the left be stronger united or separated? Everyone is already thinking about the presidential election during these regional elections. “