The former socialist minister Ségolène Royal failed Sunday in the election of senators representing the French abroad, marked by the entry into the upper house of a new elected environmentalist, Mélanie Vogel, according to the results communicated by the candidates at the end of the ballot.

It was a question of filling, by a proportional list system, six of the 12 seats of the senators representing the French established outside France which should have been renewed last September, during the renewal by half of the Senate.

Their election had been postponed due to the health crisis.

The socialist group retains its headquarters

Ten lists were in the running.

Two of the three outgoing candidates who stood for re-election were re-elected: Christophe-André Frassa (The Republicans - list “Together, the Right and the Independents for the French Abroad”) and Olivier Cadic (centrist, list “Libres et Indépendants”) .

Former Senator LR Jean-Pierre Bansard was also elected on the right (list "The voice of the French abroad"), whose election in 2017 was canceled by the Constitutional Council.

In the end, the right loses a seat.

Jacky Deromedi (LR), second on Mr. Frassa's list, was not re-elected, while Robert del Picchia (LR) did not stand for re-election.

On the left, the socialist group retains its seat, despite the division, with the election of the candidate invested by the Yves Chantrel party (“Rally of the social and united ecologist left”).

The leader of Europe Ecology-The Greens (EELV) Mélanie Vogel (“Ecology-Solidarity-Proximity”) is also elected.

It will consolidate the environmental group, the smallest in the Senate with currently 11 members, since the exclusion of Esther Benbassa.

Ségolène Royal will create her party

Finally, the list of the party of the presidential majority ("French abroad, our future is written together"), led by the LREM deputy Samantha Cazebonne, also obtains a seat.

Ségolène Royal, to whom the PS had refused the nomination in favor of Mr. Chantrel, expressed his "disappointment" to AFP, but said she did not regret having taken part in "an important campaign" which allowed him to "take the measure of the degradation of the image of France on the international stage".

Deploring "the strategy of division" of the PS, the ex-finalist of the 2017 presidential election announced that she was going to transform into a political party her association "Désirs de France".

For its part, EELV welcomed in a statement the arrival in the Senate of Mélanie Vogel, "an experienced young woman, member of the leadership of the European Green Party and committed to feminist, anti-racist and LGBTI issues".

The six senators elected on Sunday will take office on Friday, October 1, 2021. Their mandate, expiring on September 30, 2026, is therefore exceptionally reduced to five years.

Politics

Accused of moral harassment, Senator Esther Benbassa excluded from the environmental group

Justice

The investigation targeting Ségolène Royal on her expenses as ambassador of the Poles closed

  • Senate

  • Ségolène Royal

  • Senatorial