The publication Monday June 29 of turnout in the second round of municipal elections confirmed the projections of the pollsters. 41.6% of voters went to the polls on Sunday, the record for abstention (58.4%) during a municipal election under the Ve Republic. This figure is three points lower than that of first round.
It is true that the exceptional context of health crisis played a major role in theabstention. The Covid-19 and its economic consequences are the reason most mentioned by the French who did not come to vote
“Explains Frédéric Dabi, Deputy Director General of the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop). In this period of epidemic, the issues seem to be elsewhere. People did not feel concerned
, abounds Romain Pasquier, political scientist and research director at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Resumption of professional activity is considered more important. In the districts that will be affected by the coming economic and social crisis, people have voted little.
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An unusual campaign
But the pandemic is not the only cause of the disaffection of the French. The lack of electoral suspense weighed on the voters’ decision. In Paris, for example, the re-election of Anne Hidalgo was expected. Voters Doubt Their Votes Could Make a Difference
, observes Romain Pasquier. Besides, we have seen that Quimper and Perpignan, where the ballot was a real issue, voter turnout is higher.
As a result of health precautions, the past few weeks have not put on the clothes of a traditional countryside. There were no meetings, door-to-door, no dramatization in the last moments of the campaign
, adds Frédéric Dabi. The climate was not conducive to strong participation.
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“Democratic disenchantment”
Low participation rates are not new, however. If the municipal elections are usually the least shunned by the French, the figures show a clear decrease over time. In 1983, participation reached 79%. A fall of almost forty points in almost forty years. ” We are in a cycle of weakening and disenchantment with democracy that is not new
, notes the Deputy Director General of Ifop. And this abstentionist specter could still register over time, although perhaps not as weak as Sunday, June 28.
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Reasons to hope?
For the past thirty years, all indicators of involvement in the democratic process have been red. Or almost. If the episodes of yellow vests, pension reform or mistrust surrounding the management of the epidemic “Do not bode well” for a renewed participation in the vote according to Romain Pasquier, the citizens’ climate convention sends good signals by including citizens in political life
“Smiles the researcher.
« The 2005 referendum, during the time of an election, re-mobilized the voters
, recalls Frédéric Dabi. We can imagine a similar situation with a vote on ecological issues recreating the debate.
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