- The first round of municipal elections in Lyon was marked by a very strong abstention.
- The EELV party came out on top, putting the LREM candidates in difficulty, supported by the outgoing mayor of Lyon and candidate for the metropolis Gérard Collomb.
- In case of continuation, more and more improbable, of a second round Sunday, the question arises of the possible alliances.
Environmentalists at the gates of the town hall of Lyon, a real debacle for the outgoing mayor Gérard Collomb in one of the strongholds of the macronie. In the aftermath of the first round of the municipal elections in Lyon, and in the hypothesis, more and more improbable of a second round on Sunday, "20 Minutes" decrypts for you the results of this historic poll in more ways than one.
Record abstention
According to the final results of the poll, more than 60% of voters did not go to the polls Sunday in Lyon, a large part probably due to health concerns related to the coronavirus. However, the candidates least well embarked for the second round did not rely on this weak mobilization to justify their positions or the historic breakthrough of environmentalists.
On the contrary, almost all of them wanted to thank the voters who voted in this very special context on Sunday evening. Only the candidate of the National Rally, who obtained only 5.45% of the vote on Sunday, questioned the "sincerity" of the ballot. “The results are not there. We had a failure to mobilize our electorate. He did not want to go to the polls, with the contradictory injunctions given by President Emmanuel Macron: on the one hand to vote, on the other to confine oneself, "underlined Agnès Marion.
🔴 I would like to thank all of our list leaders, all of our running mate, teams and above all our constituents.
Now is the time for solidarity: take care of yourself and your loved ones, with a special thought for caregivers! #PourLAmourDeLyon # Municipales2020 #COVID ー 19 pic.twitter.com/ntxAkftPi5
Environmentalists on track for the Grand Slam
The final results confirmed the very large advance of the Greens on the evening of the first round with 28.46% for the candidate Grégory Doucet, unknown a few months ago in the political landscape. He won eight of the nine arrondissements, the 6th posh arrondissement of Lyon, having seen the outgoing mayor LR Pascal Blache come out on top. Far behind the environmental candidate, Etienne Blanc, the LR candidate for mayor and first vice-president of Laurent Wauquiez in the region, obtained 17.01% of the votes. The protégé of Gérard Collomb, former gymnast Yann Cucherat (LREM), is credited with 14.92% of the vote. And the former mayor of Lyon, Georges Képénékian, current first deputy and the former friend of Gérard Collomb, obtained 11.98% of the votes, a score sufficient to maintain himself in the second round.
No triumphalism, just great hope for Lyon and the metropolis.
Having chaired a polling station all day, I saw a great diversity in the electorate. Besides the abstention figures show nothing of the sort (on the contrary) pic.twitter.com/lYBqz2tyR3
Collomb teams in turmoil
In detail, the results by arrondissement confirm the poor posture of the teams led by the former Minister of the Interior in his stronghold, where he has been sitting in the mayor's chair since 2001. In his stronghold in the 9th arrondissement, where he is Top of the list, Gérard Collomb obtains 22.36% of the votes, behind Camille Augey (EELV, 30.35%). In third position, we find candidate LR Karine Gaudinet Guerin (10.37). In the 5th arrondissement where he is top of the list, Yann Cucherat (LREM, 19.85%) does not do better than his mentor. He comes behind the EELV candidate Nadine George, credited with 22.72% of the votes. Anne Prost (LR, 18.12%) came in third, followed by Béatrice Gailliout (supported by Georges Képénékian, 16.86%).
The results in Lyon
And now ?
The peculiarity of the ballot, organized in the midst of a coronavirus health crisis, clearly changed from Sunday evening the usual speeches of candidates on election night. No evening with activists in HQs, just short press conferences or statements broadcast on networks ... And the uncertainty weighing on the second round obviously did not untie languages on Monday. Mutual Sunday evening, Yann Cucherat has still not expressed himself on the results. And after a brief speech on the evening of the results, the teams of Grégory Doucet and Georges Képénékian have remained silent for the time being. Difficult in this context to evoke possible alliances for a second round. But all the same, some tracks are emerging…
Georges Képénékian, the key man?
The former follower of Collomb, who has submitted an independent candidacy to the municipal authorities preferring to rally the "disobeditors", supporters of the candidacy of David Kimelfeld to the metropolis and not that of the Lyon baron, could well become the most coveted candidate in the between two towers.
On Sunday, Gérard Collomb notably explained the poor scores of his teams by the divisions within his majority which marked the campaign. Municipal as well as metropolitan. “If we added the two lists from the old majority, we would be in the lead in Lyon. I think a mistake was made, said Gérard Collomb Sunday, mine defeated. The problem is not who committed it, but to find that the division never pays and that we pay the consequences tonight, "he added.
The outgoing mayor may well try to get closer to his former friend Georges Képénékian, whose 12% in the first round weighs heavily. But the main interested party rather hinted Sunday evening, in a word, that a rallying with environmentalists was not excluded. “We don't own the votes. I would need to have a project and consistency in relation to everything we did. It will be necessary to discuss with each other with the idea of the largest possible gathering. If I did not ask for a nomination, it is to be completely free. (…) I believe that there is a possible rally in our city, ”underlined Georges Képénékian. And to evoke a work to engage probably "with the greens in a slightly different way".
A hand extended to environmentalists determined "to be, for good, at the rendezvous of history". "We now have the historic responsibility of making this city an example," said Sunday evening Grégory Doucet, who, to confirm the green wave in the event of a second round, will have to approach the forces of the left Sandrine Runel (PS, PCF ... ) and Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert (rebellious France, Gram…) credited with 7% and 10.01% respectively.
Reaction to the results of # Municipales2020 pic.twitter.com/GgkZdwCceO
- Etienne BLANC (@blanc_etienne) March 15, 2020To win, the candidate LR Etienne Blanc, he seems to rely only on his troops. The former mayor of Divonne-les-Bains (Ain), as of Sunday, called to block environmentalists. "The Lyonnaises and Lyonnais should not make the choice of an adventurism which would be dangerous for our city", declared Etienne Blanc, not more ready this Monday to negotiate an alliance with his adversaries.
Contrary to rumors of a rapprochement with the Collomb lists, which marked the end of the campaign, candidate LR seems to have left to go it alone. “We looked at it on a case-by-case basis and we saw no interest in making alliances. In the districts, either we have a chance of winning alone or we are not able to prevail and an alliance, which our voters would not understand, would not change anything, "stressed this Monday to our colleagues from Lyon is the capital of Etienne Blanc's entourage. A solid commitment or a position intended to reassure its right-wing voters, in case of cancellation and postponement of the poll, on a possible alliance with the LREM lists? The next few days or weeks will tell.
Municipal
Municipal elections in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: "In a village, it's more human than political", says Sidney Govou
Municipal
Municipal elections in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes: The exit bonus in the big cities of the region
- Gérard Collomb
- Elections
- Municipal
- Ballot
- Lyon