Legislative elections 2024. A campaign full of surprises in the 4th constituency in Toulouse

He had been the best elected deputy (59.26%) for the Pink City in 2022. Who can block the road to François Piquemal (LFI), big favorite of the early legislative elections in the 4th constituency from Haute-Garonne?

Can François Piquemal be re-elected in the first round?

The LFI-Nupes deputy took over from Macronist Mickaël Nogal in 2022 in the only entirely Toulouse constituency, which covers the south-west of the Pink City (it goes from the Capitol to Mirail, via Saint-Cyprien). He has since established himself as one of the main faces of the left in the Pink City, and will be hard to dislodge.

While he garnered 46.54% of the votes in the first round in 2022, François Piquemal, 39 ans, can he be outright elected this Sunday? Reading the results of the Europeans, it’s possible… provided you stock up.

An MP keen on housing (and space)

François Piquemal, who was a history-geography and literature teacher at the Mirail vocational high school, was also once a figure in the Right to Housing association in Toulouse. Elected in 2020 to the Capitol on the Citizen Archipelago list, he resigned from the Toulouse municipal council in November 2022, after his accession to the Palais Bourbon.

In the Assembly, MP Piquemal was involved in several sectors of activity: accommodationunsurprisingly, but also in other, more unexpected areas, such as that of spatial. The parliamentarian was in fact a member of the Defense committee, as well as the local authorities delegation.

She gave birth on the 2nd day of her campaign

While this strange campaign induced by the dissolution of the National Assembly only lasts a few weeks for all the candidates, there is one for whom the days (and nights) are even shorter… Faced with François Piquemal, the majority presidential election has in fact sent a young shoot from Macronie: Margaux Pech.

But the day after the start of the official campaign, barely four days after being invested by Renaissance to everyone’s surprise, the candidate of 35 ans disappeared more quickly than expected… Last Tuesday, while the candidates from her camp united to display their unity in this campaign as intense as it was expressive in front of the press, Margaux Pech was missing. And it was Jean-Philippe Rey, his deputy, who broke the news: his candidate was… maternity, to welcome her second child!

Who is Margaux Pech, François Piquemal’s rival?

Coming from a family of artisans and traders, Margaux Pech grew up between the family butcher’s shop, rue des Chalets, and her parents’ restaurant, allée Charles-de-Fitte. After studying in the Pink City, she lived for ten years in Paris. Spokesperson for “Young people with Macron” during the 2017 Presidential election, she was deputy of deputy Stanislas Guérini, between 2012 and 2022. She also held various positions in the Assembly and in ministerial cabinet. Now a consultant, Margaux Pech returned to Toulouse a year ago, where she lives in the Saint-Simon district.

A student for the RN, an airline pilot for Reconquête

On the RN side, it is a young student from 18 ans who will carry Jordan Bardella’s line in this constituency anchored to the left. Novice in politics, Audrey Larregle will have a lot to do to hope to make their way towards a hypothetical second round.

In 2022, the National Rally, which here traditionally has to face headwinds, only came 4th in the vote, behind the Republicans. A traditional right now torn between alliance with the extreme right and independence, which this time completely ignores this constituency.

That said, the extreme right appears divided, since the airline pilot Arthur Cottrelalready a candidate in 2022, will again try to get Reconquête off the ground, inevitably encroaching on the RN’s borders.

He withdraws his candidacy… and will get 0%

Another surprise in this constituency: while seven candidates are seeking the voters’ votes on paper (compared to 14 in 2022), one of them has in reality already threw in the towel… Invested by the NPA-Revolutionaries (a party born from the split with the NPA, which supports the New Popular Front), Paul Cazals has in fact withdrawn his candidacy, although submitted in due form to the prefecture, and will be absent from the polling stations. His bulletins were not neither printed nor posted online. Even before the election, he is therefore guaranteed to finish dead last and faire… 0% !

“The deadlines are too short, we did not have time to make a subscription for this campaign, and given the financial risks, we can only present a few candidates,” explains Nathanaëlle Loubet-Sruh, member of the leadership of the NPA-Revolutionaries and who herself is running for the seat of deputy on the 9th. Result of the races: the party calls for a vote… Workers’ struggleagain embodied by the postman Patrick Marcireau.

Finally, the regionalist movement will once again be represented by Jacem Delmascandidate from Bastir Occitanie.

The candidates for the 4th constituency of Haute-Garonne (entirely in Toulouse, southwest of the city) are :

• Jacem Delmas (Bastir Occitanie). Substitute: Jessica Argaz.
• Audrey Larregle (RN): student. Substitute: Christopher Voisin.
• Arthur Cottrel (Reconquest): airline pilot. Substitute: Noël Dupont.
• Francois Piquemal (LFI, New Popular Front): outgoing deputy since 2022. Substitute: Victoria Scampa.
• Margaux Pech (Renaissance, presidential majority): consultant, former advisor to different ministries. Alternate: Jean-Philippe Rey.
• Patrick Marcireau (LO): financial center postman. Alternate: Robert Roig, retired aeronautical technician.

Paul Cazals (NPA-Revolutionnaires), job seeker, submitted and then withdrew his application.

The left in the lead during the last elections

In 2022, François Piquemal crushed the competition in the first round, peaking at 46.56% of the vote. The candidate of the presidential majority, Marie-Claire Constans, then received 23.59% of the votes. All the other candidates were below 10%: Bertrand Serp (LR) at 8.80%, Ewa Sadowski (RN) at 7.16%, Fatiha Agag-Boudjahlat (Republican Left) at 4.78% and finally Arthur Cottrel at 4.13%

To the Europeans of June 9, left has again dominated the debates, the only surprise being that the rebellious list led by Manon Aubry was beaten by a short head (25 votes, exactly) by that of the socialist Raphaël Glucksmann. It is at the same time in this constituency that LFI garnered its best score in the department (21.46%) and the RN its worst (12.85%), although it progressed strongly in number of votes (4,846 , compared to 2,512 in the 2022 legislative elections). Here as elsewhere, l’abstention will be one of the keys to the election.

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