A green wave: this is undoubtedly the main lesson from these municipal elections, the second round of which took place on Sunday June 28. Environmentalists have won several major cities, with huge wars taken as Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux or Strasbourg. We will explain everything to you.
1. Which cities have been won by environmentalists?
In the capital of Gaul, Grégory Doucet, the environmental candidate allied to the Left Party, wins with 53.5% of the vote against Yann Cucherat (LREM), at 38%. And the ecologist Bruno Bernard, head of the list of a coalition bringing together EELV and the left parties, claimed his victory in the metropolis of Lyon, real seat of power in Lyon, for a historic double in the city directed since 2001 by Gérard Collomb.
“Voters today have made a historic choice. That of a metropolis that is strongly committed to future generations and for the preservation of the climate (…). I will lead the metropolis of Lyon with a united team and invested, “said Bernard to the press, when the official results had not yet been released.
AT Marseille, leftist environmental candidate Michèle Rubirola comes out on top, in front of Martine Vassal, candidate Les Républicains. However, the particularity of the poll, by sectors, still makes the choice of the future mayor uncertain.
In Bordeaux, the ecologist Pierre Hurmic is a short head ahead of the outgoing mayor LR Nicolas Florian, supported by LREM, during the municipal elections. What tear an exclamation of happiness from Yannick Jadot, when he learns the news live on France 2, as a journalist of the Huffington Post on Twitter :
— Paul Guyonnet (@Pauluskupa) June 28, 2020
Supported in particular by the PS and the PCF, it won with between 45.6 and 46.8% ahead of Florian (43.2-44.6%) according to Harris Interactive and Ipsos-Sopra Steria. In third position, Philippe Poutou (NPA) received just under 10% of the vote.
In Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian also hoists the green flag over the city by winning with 42.5% against his opponent LREM.
But environmentalists are also taking over medium-sized cities like Poitiers, where Léonore Moncond’huy has debunked the socialist Alain Claeys who was trying a third term, or Besançon where Anne Vignot has beaten LR Ludovic Fagaut.
2. And in the cities guarded by the PS, how is it going for environmentalists?
The environmentalists, without incarnating the head of the list, were allied to the socialists or to the broad left in several big cities, like Paris, where Anne Hidalgo triumphs, Rennes, where Nathalie Appéré wins, or Nantes, which sees the victory of Johanna Rolland allied with the Greens and the Communists.
Exception, in Lille, Martine Aubry defeated, – admittedly narrowly, with 227 votes in advance – Stéphane Baly, the EELV candidate.
3. What are the reactions?
Yannick Jadot, Europe-Ecology Greens MEP, hailed the victory ofhope around a beautiful project
in several cities. On France 2, he explained the reasons for this green wave: “There is such a wait. You know, we got out of containment and bing, the heat wave. We take air pollution. The kids are coming out of confinement and they can’t play in the playground anymore. “.
“It’s time for an ecology in action”, he also said: “Because tomorrow, we will have to manage these cities. We will have to keep the promises, keep the commitments. Improve local life. Improve everyday life. But you can see that this is a political turning point in our country. There will be a before and after this election. It’s the moment of ecology ”.
“I believe that it is the meeting between a need for ecology expressed by the citizens and perhaps also a new generation of ecologists who were ready to govern”, said the former EELV MEP Eva Sas.
On the government side, this success will raise questions. We have to go faster
on ecology, said Minister Julien Denormandie. The Head of State, Emmanuel Macron, also said in a press release from the Elysée that he intended to bring “Strong responses” and “Up to the challenges and expectations” by welcoming the members of the Citizen Climate Convention (CCC) on Monday June 29, the day after a flood of ecologists at the municipal level.
4. What is the political significance of this green wave?
Questioned by West France, Martial Foucault, director of Cevipof, analyzes: “Environmentalists have managed to overcome their institutional weakness: the majority fact still penalized the Greens. They demonstrate that, when this party is structured, campaigns around very current issues, it manages to overcome the structural handicap given by the institutions that is the two-round ballot.
This environmental push could even lead Emmanuel Macron to change strategy for the next presidential election, says the political scientist: “The first secretary of the PS indicates that, in 2022, the Socialist Party could naturally support a Europe Ecology-The Greens candidacy, without presenting a candidate. He is taking shape right now, which Emmanuel Macron had not for a moment imagine: Marine Le Pen might not be the only threatening candidate, in the event of a single candidacy on the left. “
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