The very high abstention, in record figures of more than 67%, has been the main protagonist in the regional election day held this Sunday in France, which also points to a failure of the extreme right of Marine Le Pen against the right traditional in this first round. Nor has the president’s party, Emmanuel Macron , managed to prevail in any region in these elections.
Le Pen’s far-right, now called the National Regrouping, has left a good percentage of votes with respect to the previous regional elections of 2015, when they were the most voted party in France with 27.73% still calling themselves the National Front. Now, six years later, and according to the exit polls, Le Pen’s RN remains at 18.5% of the vote, far from the 29% achieved by the traditional right now led by the Republicans, the formation founded by Sarkozy and currently chaired by Christian Jacob.
But the main protagonist on this election day has been the massive abstention in France, more than 67%, figures of electoral absenteeism that were not seen in the neighboring country since a referendum was held in 2000 to extend to five years the presidential term. This represents an increase of about 17 points compared to the 50% abstention in the last regional elections. “The level of abstention is particularly worrying,” acknowledged Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
This vote had already been delayed in its day by the pandemic. The second round is scheduled for next Sunday, June 27.
The National Regrouping still points out that “a comeback is possible” in the face of that second round, as the vice president of the formation, Jordan Bardella, said on Sunday afternoon, analyzing the disappointment after those of Le Pen would have been the main protagonists of the electoral campaign and would see the goal of managing a region in France for the first time. In fact, they managed victory options in up to six departments, but they have remained at zero.
The results of La República En Marcha, the party founded by Macron, have also been negative. However, their numbers will make them decisive so that those of Le Pen are predictably left without governing in any region and the traditional right maintains its strongholds. Macron maintains his favoritism at the national level, but with four years of life, the establishment of his party at the local level is progressing slowly.
The environmental party has also been disappointed by the high absenteeism and has seen its growth slow to a halt, after becoming an important party in the 2020 municipal elections. This time they have remained at 13.2%, as a second option within the block on the left and three points away from the 16.5% that the exit polls carried out by BFMTV give the Socialist Party, which continues to drift but pull its local implantation to show its head.
