Overseas voters and French people living in America went to the polls on Saturday for the first round of the most closely watched legislative elections in recent history, on the eve of a vote in mainland France that could pave the way for the National Rally to come to power.
It was the voters of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon who opened the ball “without difficulty” at 8 a.m. (noon in France), according to the prefecture of this overseas community in the North Atlantic.
Voters from Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, French Polynesia and those living on the American continent also voted on Saturday. The election was due to start in New Caledonia from 10 p.m. Paris time, before the opening of offices in France on Sunday at 8 a.m.
Strong turnout expected
Pollsters and politicians expect a very sharp increase in participation compared to the 2022 legislative elections, for which 47.51% of voters turned out. This time, participation could reach or even exceed two-thirds of the approximately 49 million registered.
In Guyana, for example, the European elections on June 9 were largely ignored. And voters were much more numerous on Saturday, with a participation of 16.1% at midday.
“I am doing my duty as a citizen. It’s a local election and we need an MP who defends our rights. But I recognize that the national situation has influenced me,” confides Rose Montoute, a 44-year-old voter met in Cayenne.
Same feeling of gravity in Guadeloupe about a “ballot where everything could change”. “I find the issue fundamental,” Malika B., 21, explains to AFP.
In Guadeloupe, participation at noon was 14.31% compared to 10.56% in 2022 and in Martinique 12.45% compared to 7.5% in 2022.
A historic vote
A renewed interest at the national level due in part to the potentially historic consequences of these legislative elections, which for the first time since 1997 will not be aligned with the presidential election.
At the end of the second round, the extreme right, if it obtains an absolute majority, could govern France for the first time since the Second World War.
