Paris (AFP)

Voters out of duty, abstainers disappointed with politics, and a lack of information often pinned down: words from voters met by AFP on Sunday for the second round of regional and departmental elections.

The record abstention, which seems to be confirmed in the second round, "that can only question us. What is it that does not manage to interest the voters?", Underlines the president of an office of vote of Strasbourg, Françoise Schaetzel, a 69-year-old elected.

While a controversy over the failures of the delivery of the professions of faith of the candidates marred the first round, several voters say they did not receive them either for the second, like Anne-Françoise, 66 years old and retired, for whom "for sure, that does not make you want to go and vote".

"I'm coming to vote, but it's no use," summarizes Hugues Hubert, 66, retired from the transport sector, soccer jersey on his shoulders, and none of the three children will travel.

"Vote for the presidential elections, okay, but for the departmental, we don't know anything. What are the candidates going to do? No idea."

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Daniel, a 58-year-old housekeeper, says he "voted at random".

- Broken promises -

In another Strasbourg office, President Marina Lafay deplores "a kind of wandering on the part of certain voters, especially in relation to departmental", for which in the first round "some discovered the candidates on the table".

However, annoys Isabelle Courteau, a 51-year-old civil servant "inserted", "today with the internet, if you want to get information, it's easy!".

"Not to vote is a denial of democracy", also launches, in Marseille, Thierry, a septuagenarian of the 5th arrondissement for whom however "perhaps young people need an alternative ..."

In Lille, in a polling station in the south of the city, Josiane Vanoverloop, 82, who is part of the "generation used to going to vote", has an explanation for the abstention: "People are generally disgusted with politics: we are always told we are going to do this or that but once elected, they do not keep their promises ".

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"People have had enough", also said in Dijon Alain Robiaud, a voter of a polling station whose assessor speaks of "even less participation than in the first round".

"The elders fought to have the right to vote and today the young people do nothing", plague Jean-Claude Berto, retired 69 years.

In the hypercentre of Lyon, the same concern.

"The young people are not there", slips Dylan, security guard posted at the entrance of the office of the old palace of the Stock Exchange.

But in Dijon, Quentin Guillon de Princé, 31, was keen to vote in both rounds because he "knows that the region has a certain power".

- France of the "Enlightenment" -

To ward off abstention, Christine, a 40-year-old responsible for human resources, pleads for "electronic voting".

Nicolas, a 57-year-old doctor in Strabourg, also said that he would vote "perhaps" if it were possible "by internet" and if the blank vote was taken into account.

But for the moment, he abstains, in particular because "the policies do not answer the questions".

"If the candidates spoke to me a little more, I could vote, perhaps, but there, I can not identify myself with a person and even less with a political movement", abounds Pierre Kieffer, 31 years old, author illustrator.

Houssine Sbaï, 53, employed in the cosmetics industry, deplores the “amalgamations” of political debates on television, “on Islam, immigration”.

"The objective is to live together, and we have the impression that politicians are looking for the opposite. When I see the history of France, the Enlightenment, we are far from all that", regrets t -he.

Like others, Hélène Débotte, a 31-year-old woman from Strasbourg, does not vote because she does not know "for whom".

"But I will go to the presidential elections", because "it is clearer, the stakes, the main lines", and "I have more the impression to vote for someone" identified, "rather than for a group of people I don't know what they're doing ".

© 2021 AFP