It is 8 p.m. on the Saint-Bruno square in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. All eyes are on the phones. The mines are closing. A young woman holds her head, wondering how pollsters can already estimate the results of the second round. “What do they know about postponements?” Karim Belmadami, 63, looks at the scores, those of the left, those of the Macronists. He also believes in the dam. “There may be a chance with Macron for the second round if he is consistent with himself. He has already been pretty lousy these last two weeks,” still hopes this volunteer at the Goutte-d’Or festival.
This is the last evening of the festival in this northern Paris neighborhood, and in the memory of residents, it has never taken place at the same time as an election night. During the meal, between the fashion show and the Cuban concert scheduled for 8 p.m., speeches by representatives of associations have been added to the program. There are nearly twenty of them on stage to remind us how much they hold and will hold their “commitments to defend without restraint democracy, solidarity, fraternity and to continue to fight against all discrimination. Let’s look at our history, Goutte-d’Or has always been a welcoming land. We have always been able to resist.”
“Macron didn’t help us, that’s for sure”
VOTE is displayed in large red letters drawn with a marker on a large white banner hanging from a gate in the square at the foot of the Saint-Bernard Church. In this hotbed of struggle for the undocumented migrant movement in 1996, amid the scent of cotton candy, Bernard Massera, 84, is the memory of this thirty-year celebration. This retiree, electromechanic and CFDT trade unionist, who “his biography in the Maitron”the dictionary of the labor movement, tell : “We suffered from the bad reputation of the neighborhood, to the point that taxis didn’t want to come here. We wanted to show that this neighborhood was a place where people lived well. We brought in the drummers from the Bronx, Amadou and Mariam, the Barbès orchestra, quality shows that could bring people in while meeting the neighborhood’s party needs.” For this left-wing voter, the current political situation, the RN at the gates of power, are “things that come from very far away. Macron did not help us, that’s for sure, with his problem of listening, the short-circuiting of associations and unions. But the destruction of public services, health, and national education comes from much further afield.”.
Even though the local results will not be available until later in the evening – the polling stations closed at 8 p.m. – Bernard, like the others, is not worried about the neighborhood score. Here, in the seventeenth constituency of Paris, Danièle Obono (LFI) was re-elected in the first round in 2022. There were only five in France in this case. In the cafeteria of the nearby elementary school with green and white walls, where the counting of polling stations 55 is taking place, the ballots in favor of the outgoing deputy are piling up on the six large tables. Volunteer citizens count and recount. It is 9:30 p.m. when they hear the megaphones in the street. “No fascists in the neighborhood, no neighborhoods for fascists”. “The 18th century move around, Bardella is almost there”. Protesters arrive. Some have put on CGT vests, others carry banners, in support of Palestine or “Paris 18e en lutte”. They stop on the square in front of the Saint-Bernard church. A group continues to play Cuban music. The protesters hesitate, then leave, heading for Place de la République. The counting of the ballots at polling station 55 ends: the participation exceeds 70% and Danièle Obono has collected 74.12% of the votes, or 868 out of 1171.
Jacques Mendy campaigned for the New Popular Front. This left-wing activist is involved with the Enfants de la Goutte-d’Or, an association “created in 1978 by residents, nuns, lay people, Muslims”. For him, “solidarity exists in this country, France is a country of fraternity, even if a nauseating speech is necessary.” Wardine Ibouroi, 40, takes care of another association, Home Sweet Mômes: “We are a neighborhood of about thirty nationalities. We have social and societal problems, yes, but never problems related to our diversity. Tonight, we are showing the whole world that the neighborhood is the solution to social cohesion.” Musicians play, locals dance salsa. “There is something precious here that must not be destroyed,” concludes Jacques Mendy.
This time again, Danièle Obono, who was a target of the far right, was elected in the first round, with 64% of the votes in the entire constituency. Seven points more than two years ago.
Update : at 0:12 with the rest of the evening and the results.
