On March 7, the sponsorship collection campaign ended. The list of successful candidates illustrates the complete shutdown of the main elections of French democracy, the one that mobilizes the most French, as it sets the course the country will take for five years.
No new political force emerges there, except for that of Eric Zemmour, whose political presentation marks a pure return to the original National Front line (national and Thatcherite identity), and who owes his career as a journalist on the set notoriety. – Not to mention the obvious support from the owner of many media outlets. The only candidate who could be described as an outsider, Jean LaSalle, was actually a candidate, the rural candidate, who won him the sympathy of many mayors of small towns.
Aside from Natalie Artaud, and possibly Philip Bhutto, a union representative, all the candidates are political professionals, including Eric Zemmour, who has been making a living for decades by giving his opinion on air. »
Yet there are countless voices denouncing the crisis of confidence between the French and their institutions, the crisis of democratic representation, the absence of a political outlet for the yellow vest movement, and the recent explosion of abstentions, even for elections in which turnout is traditionally high. , such as municipal elections. Everyone is worried that the French can no longer hope for anything from politics. Everyone regrets that they don’t even care about the presidential campaign, which is nevertheless the most important feature of our democratic life.
That’s because the French want something new. Undoubtedly new faces, because many of them consider the rulers of the past decades to be corrupt, and because they do not agree with the division that has arisen between professional politicians and others. However, with the exception of Natalie Artaud, and possibly Philip Bhutto, a union representative, all of the candidates are political professionals, including Eric Zemmour, who has been making a living for decades by giving his opinion on air.
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But above all new ideas. Ideas capable of rallying the vast majority of them against the extremist projects of the outgoing president. However, different competitors’ positions make them suitable candidates, targeting a part of the population without worrying about irritating others. In this sense, this presidential election is in fact the election of the “archipelago” of our society as described by Jerome Fourquet – Emmanuel Macron who benefits from the group that is more numerous and the one who votes the most: the global winners.
Persistent rumors suggest that sponsorship contracts have been purchased without any investigation, arguing that the candidates who turn to them have not crossed the inauspicious threshold. »
Why is it impossible for any new political offer to enter the democratic arena? First, because the patronage system, which initially intended to exclude fictional candidates – even if it did not eschew Marcel Barbot’s – was misguided by the practices of established political parties and permanently transformed by Dutch reform. That, providing the full publicity that turns sponsorship – that is, the fact that the nomination is considered serious – into support, was the closing of the major election to any intruder Except, of course, benefiting from significant economic support, as was the case with the outgoing president.
In practice, this system is completely flawed. Actions that call into question the veracity of this action are neither monitored nor punished. Some “young” candidates, seeking only to identify themselves, present themselves without a fundraising association: that is, they cannot make their candidacy flourish even if they have 500 signatures. And it is not taken into account that they mobilized sponsorship for nothing, at the expense of other candidates who complied with the rules.
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Persistent rumors indicate that sponsorship contracts have been purchased without any investigation on the grounds that the candidates who resort to them have not crossed the inauspicious threshold. Again, these are missing sponsors.
The “bank of signatures” created by modem Francois Bayrou hijacks the procedure, but reinforces its locked character, since it depends on popularity on the ballot, thus effectively prohibiting the emergence of any new political proposal. , by definition is unknown, and therefore has not been tested.
The signature collection campaign is largely done by email; However, Internet providers can unilaterally decide that these messages will be classified as spam.
“At the very least, complete anonymity must be ensured to the elected officials likely to give their patronage, so as to rediscover the spirit of the Fifth Republic.”
In the absence of the physical character of the shipments, the deadlines are very short, especially since the post office is in a state of constant decline in the regions. Many provinces no longer had postal services; They delegate this function to companies whose service is uncertain. Mayors, especially overseas, did not receive the forms until shortly before the shutdown. Direct submission of these forms is not approved by the candidate teams and not by the mayors themselves from the post office closest to their place of residence.
No penalties for pressures placed on mayors, such as the illegal deliberations of the municipal council, or the instructions of political parties.
The media only invites candidates who fit it, and refuses to comply with the obligation of equal treatment between candidates when they do not have 500 signatures. But it is only natural that it is media exposure that allows sponsors to judge whether a candidate is serious or fanciful. Arcom, the authority responsible for enforcing equal talk time, does nothing.
Fundamental flaws in this procedure, such as multiple changes in its honesty through unauthorized infractions, should lead to its replacement as soon as possible by a more democratic and transparent procedure, as in Portugal, where each candidate must have 7,500 citizens’ bail – but This will require a constitutional review. At the very least, they must ensure complete anonymity to the elected officials likely to provide their patronage, so as to rediscover the spirit of the Fifth Republic: the trust given to mayors small and old to make the difference between a serious candidate and an imaginary candidate.
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This time, it is feared that voters will turn away from an election in which the only candidate who addresses the entire country is the incumbent, hated by the majority; Elections where candidates are likely to reach the second round are all candidates hated by more than half of the population. A sovereign republic cannot force itself to officially support a candidate under these circumstances; Thus, each of its members is invited to vote for whomever suits them most – or rather what does not satisfy them in the least.
Even if we know that every time since the disastrous inception of the five-year term, legislative elections have been avoided by the electorate, we hope that they become an opportunity to articulate in favor of genuine political and social opposition. That is why we are preparing, with our allies, to present a candidate in as many constituencies as possible, in order to carry our message so high in the National Assembly – and why not – to engage in an opposition capable of blocking the way for the worse. European and liberal abuses of the outgoing president.
