• About 66% of voters did not vote in the second round of regional and departmental elections this Sunday.

  • This election is marked by a strong bonus to outgoing right and left, and disappointing scores for the RN, the presidential majority and the ecologists.

  • Ten months before the presidential election, three outgoing right-wing presidents, comfortably re-elected, have given a little boost this evening in their pre-presidential campaign.

A second round that looks like the first?

Voters were invited to vote this Sunday for the second round of regional and departmental elections.

Like last week, they massively shunned the ballot box.

The outgoing presidents, on the right and on the left, found themselves comforted.

On the other hand, the National Gathering saw its chance to conquer a region fly away in Paca, ten months before the presidential election.

Disappointment also for the ecologists, beaten in the Pays-de-la-Loire.

As for the presidential party, it still fails to win a territorial election.

  • The abstention is confirmed, the opposition tackles the government

There was no surge in participation this Sunday, despite calls from politicians on the evening of the first round, already marked by a record abstention (nearly 67% of registered voters). Abstention remained at an almost identical level, around 66% according to the polling institutes, while it stood at 41.59% in the second round of the regional elections in 2015. The communication campaign launched in disaster by the government to encourage young people to vote did not seem to cause remobilization in the second round.

"A week of very strong media exposure did not change anything," emphasizes Bruno Cautrès, CNRS research director.

It is not a problem of organizing the ballot, highlighting the issues, or facilitating the vote, but a real structural problem, which once again highlights the crisis of our democratic model and the mistrust of the voters.

"

In passing, the opposition again criticized the executive for the hiccups in the distribution of professions of faith, entrusted to two providers.

"The extremely serious dysfunctions of the organization of the poll clearly engage the responsibility of the executive power and the Minister of the Interior", denounced on BFMTV Jordan Bardella, vice-president of the RN and candidate defeated in Île-de-France.

  • Leavers very comfortably re-elected, left and right rejoice

This election was very favorable to the leavers. This allows the right to keep its seven regions (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grand-Est, Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, Normandy, Pays-de-la-Loire and Provence-Alpes-Côte d ' Azur), and to the left to remain at the head of five (Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Brittany, Center-Val-de-Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie), and to overturn Reunion.

The President of the Republicans Christian Jacob estimated this Sunday that the right was "today clearly the only force of alternation", hailing on France 2 "a formidable victory".

The boss of the Socialists also welcomed the scores of outgoing PS.

Olivier Faure ruled on TF1 that "the driving force that is the PS" has a duty "to bring together all of the left and environmentalists to be able to move towards the presidential election.

"

  • The National Rally empty-handed

Bad news for Marine Le Pen, who hoped to conquer at least one region ten months before the presidential election.

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, the only region that seemed within reach of the bulletin, escapes him, and Thierry Mariani (44%) is largely left behind by Renaud Muselier (56%).

In the other regions, the RN obtains lower scores than in 2015, as in Occitanie or the Grand-Est.

He will therefore lose regional councilor seats, after seeing his number of municipal councilors halve in municipal elections in 2020.

"Tonight we will not take a region," admitted Marine Le Pen, preferring to refer to the next election.

"The presidential election appears more than ever as the election which allows to change policies and policies".

"This is very bad news for Marine Le Pen, who was counting on this ballot to show the normalization of her party, its territorial presence and the ability of the RN to exist outside the presidential election", notes Bruno Cautrès, who however recalls his victory in the Europeans in 2019.

  • Things are jostling on the right for 2022

Of the three right-wing presidents in waivers in the second round, Xavier Bertrand drew the first.

At 8 p.m. sharp, the outgoing president of Hauts-de-France, reelected with 52.37% of the vote (without a Republican front unlike 2015), spoke from his stronghold of Saint-Quentin (Aisne).

"This result gives me the strength to go out and meet all French people," said the former LR, in a speech with the overtones of the presidential program.

Laurent Wauquiez followed suit a few minutes later by speaking, smiling, from Lyon.

Outgoing president LR of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, also re-elected with around 56% of the vote, also unrolled some presidential campaign themes.

He considered that his victory was "that of a clear course", before affirming at the end of his speech that "only a clear course will allow to find a new hope".

At 8.45 p.m., Valérie Pécresse (Libres, ex-LR), returned to the head of Ile-de-France with more than 40% of the vote according to estimates, also expressed her desire to influence the campaign for the Elysee.

“This evening a French team from the right and the center has emerged in the regions.

We have a great responsibility and I will take all my part in it, ”she assured from the capital.

The three are therefore in a position to hope to represent the right in 2022, but they are not alone.

A new campaign will begin tomorrow and continue throughout the summer, since LR has chosen to survey right-wing personalities in September to see which one emerges for the presidential election.

  • The ecologists do not delight any region

The Greens failed to conquer a region on Sunday.

In Pays-de-la-Loire, the ecologist Matthieu Orphelin (33%) is largely beaten by the outgoing LR Christelle Mor Anglais (47%).

In Ile-de-France, the boss of Europe-Ecology-The Greens Julien Bayou also comes second, ten points behind Valérie Pécresse.

A failure for the party which wanted to assert its unifying position on the left in view of the presidential election.

"The ecologists were the only ones able to unite", however estimated the mayor EELV of Grenoble Eric Piolle on BFMTV.

  • The debacle is confirmed for the presidential majority

The eight majority candidates who were able to hold on in the second round saw their score stagnate, or even drop, and the LREM-MoDem lists only totaled about 7% of the votes at the national level.

It is "a very important warning shot for the majority" and the executive, estimated on LCI the president of the MoDem François Bayrou.

But the majority rejects for the moment a possible reshuffle, and this even if three members of the government were head of the list and are sanctioned this Sunday.

This announced defeat did not prevent Emmanuel Macron from taking a walkabout in Le Touquet, where he went to vote.

On Monday, he will visit an electric battery factory in Douai (North), notably in the company of Xavier Bertrand.

Elections

Regional: 27.89,% participation in the second round at 5 p.m., slight increase compared to the first round

Elections

Regional: Abstention, score in Paca, match on the right… The hot spots of the second round

  • The Republicans (France)

  • Regional elections

  • LREM

  • Elections

  • Abstention

  • PS

  • National gathering