The RN continues its breakthrough in Loiret by also nibbling away at the 2nd constituency. The far-right candidate even knocks out the incumbent Caroline Janvier in the first round, who withdraws. The hopes of the Republicans now rest on Emmanuel Duplessy, of the New Popular Front.
The cards have been largely reshuffled in the second constituency where there will be no triangular. There are three lessons to remember.
The invisible RN candidate comes out on top
As in most constituencies in Loiret, the National Rally is in the lead. Élodie Babin, a ghost candidate who lives in Eure-et-Loir, was not seen campaigning or in the media, does not have her photo on the ballots, yet she collected 32.91% of the votes. “She was unable to be at the prefecture this evening (Sunday, June 30) for family reasons,” explains her substitute, Audrey Havez.
But she reassures: “Posters were put up, the teams were present. The campaign was short and complex. She will of course fulfill her mandate in line with the party. It is her years as a regional councilor that allowed her to have this score.”
MP Caroline Janvier withdraws
The outgoing majority MP finds herself out of the game. Caroline Janvier comes in third, 10 points behind her RN opponent, with 23.03% of the vote. A heavy setback that she analyses as “anger, a rejection of the majority in power. Responsibly, I am withdrawing. It is quite obvious because I am attached to the republican front. I give my full support to Emmanuel Duplessy. The probability that the RN will have a majority in the Assembly is a reality and there will be serious risks for the country. Of virulence, of division of the French, of liberation of racist speech, not to mention the incompetence of the RN MPs that I have met.”
Duplessy, the only left-wing candidate likely to win
The man who carries all the hopes on his shoulders is Emmanuel Duplessy. The candidate of the New Popular Front comes in second position (as in 2022) with 28.03% of the votes. “This is a result that commits me: I hope to swing the constituency to the left and to ecology. I call on Republicans and Democrats to come together and choose diversity of opinion.”
Emmanuel Duplessy is the only left-wing candidate who can hope, under these conditions, to win in Loiret. The candidate believes that “the RN’s score is intriguing, even if it is in line with national polls. It surprises me that Mrs Babin, who did not campaign, is not paying for it electorally.”
Marie Guibal
