On June 9, during the European elections, Jordan Bardella received more than 55% of the votes in the constituency overall and in the town of Mazingarbe alone, he obtained more than 63%.
What does the constituency correspond to?
The 12e constituency of Pas-de-Calais, it is a constituency of the mining basin. It is shared between two territories, Lensois and Béthunois. The largest city is Liévin, 30,000 inhabitants. It was she who provided the deputies whose mandates were the longest. Henri Darras, from 1958 to 1981 and Jean-Pierre Kucheida, from 1981 to 2012. But the 12th is also the constituency of ACC, the Gigafactory of batteries for motor vehicles in Billy-Berclau and Douvrin. It is also, in Vendin-le-Vieil, a very high security penitentiary center.
Politically, it was a stronghold of the Socialist Party until 2017, when the National Rally managed to win the deputy seat with Bruno Bilde. Since then, the Lepéniste party has been making boxes there.
Challenges
Does Bruno Bilde have any fears for his seat in the face of a left that is rather united, or can he, on the contrary, succeed in being re-elected in a single round? In 2022, in a context of high abstention, with nearly six out of ten voters who stayed at home, he obtained more than 41% of the votes in the first round. In the second round, he quite easily disposed of the socialist Jérôme Darras, with around 56% of the votes.
The candidates of the 12e constituency
Who are the candidates in the 12e constituency?
- Bruno Picture47 years old, outgoing MP
Elected since 2017, Bruno Bilde wants to regain his seat during these legislative elections. He is close to Steeve Briois. He was deputy mayor of Hénin-Beaumont from 2014 to 2017. He is also close to Marine Le Pen, having been part of the inner circle, even if their friendship almost broke up in 2022, when Bruno Bilde was ousted from the executive office by Jordan Bardella. There will be no candidate The Republicans or Reconquest! facing him.
- Steve Bossart37 years old, mayor of Billy-Berclau
After Bruno Bilde, the most right-wing candidate that we could find is Steve Bossart. Certainly, he is the various left mayor of Billy-Berclau, but various left who is still close to Macronie, since in 2022 he became national advisor to Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
- Alain Bavay62 years old, president of the Artois metropolitan center
On the left, the New Popular Front has nominated a socialist: Alain Bavay. He is first deputy mayor of Éleu-dit-Leauwette, a small town near Lens, but above all he is president of the Pôle métropolitain de l’Artois, the PMA, which is in fact a superstructure which brings together the department of Pas- de-Calais and the three towns of the mining basin, that is to say Béthune-Bruay, Lens-Liévin and Hénin-Carvin. He is an influential man, but who is still relatively little known to the general public.
- Régis Scheenaerts60 years old, worker at Stellantis
To complete the cast, Régis Scheenaerts. A worker at Stellantis, he will wear the colors of Lutte Ouvrière. As in almost every election, the revolutionary party presents a candidate.
