In the second constituency of Loiret, an RN candidate did not hold any public meetings and did not participate in any debates, report our colleagues at France Bleu. However, she qualified for the second round of the legislative elections. Her partner explains that she “suffered from Covid”.
She didn’t say a word, but collected nearly 19,000 votes this Sunday, June 30. Candidate in the legislative elections for the National Rally, Élodie Babin came out on top in the first round with 32.91% of the votes in the second constituency of Loiret. However, this woman has never spoken publicly since the start of the campaign, explains France Bleu.
“Not a single public meeting, no market, no poster or even a leaflet with her face on it,” notes the local media, which emphasizes that Élodie Babin “does not live” in the constituency in which she is running.
“This raises the question of democratic debate”
Already a candidate two years ago, Élodie Babin had a few posters with her name on them “but she didn’t really campaign”, reports France Bleu. This year, her face does not appear alongside those of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella.
A situation similar to that observed in dozens of constituencies, the far-right party capitalizing on the score of its president during the European elections and transforming the stakes of the vote: the French no longer elect 577 deputies, but a Prime Minister, Jordan Bardella.
France Bleu also explains that Élodie Babin has refused to meet with journalists since the beginning of the campaign. “This raises the question of democratic debate. Today, media outlets are refusing to invite me because they will not be able to balance the speaking time with Madame Babin,” laments the candidate of the New Popular Front who will face her in the second round, Emmanuel Duplessy, on local radio.
“She was suffering from Covid”
“If she wins on Sunday, we can ask ourselves if she will really be a member of parliament who is there for our fellow citizens but also for the elected representatives, the communities and the associations in the constituency,” he says.
Contacted by France Bleu, Élodie Babin’s partner, Aleksandar Nikolic, regional councilor and recently elected MEP, claims that she “was suffering from Covid”.
In addition, her X account is not very active. Apart from the relay of five passages in the media of her partner and posts shared by Jordan Bardella, she has not made any communication about her campaign since the dissolution of the National Assembly. Her “biography” does not even specify that she is a candidate and her profile photo shows a zebra.
In the second round, his competitor from the New Popular Front, who came in second with 28% of the vote, could benefit from the withdrawal of the outgoing Macronist MP Caroline Janvier, who had received 23% of the vote. Like her, more than 200 qualified candidates have decided to withdraw in order to block the far right and prevent Marine Le Pen’s party from forming an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
