It’s a race against time, against a backdrop of tensions and controversies. While the submission of candidacies for the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7 will close this Sunday, June 16 at 6 p.m., and the parties of the right and the left are tearing each other apart or experiencing strong tensions, L’Express takes stock of upcoming deadlines.
June 17: start of the official campaign
The campaign for the legislative elections promises to be lightning. While the Ministry of the Interior recalls that there is normally a “period which extends over the six months preceding the election, with certain rules governing the electoral campaign”, this time it will be reduced to one week. The official campaign period, governed by “stricter rules”, runs “from the second Monday preceding polling day” until “the day before the poll at midnight”. It will therefore start this Monday, June 17 and end Friday, June 28, at 11:59 p.m.
During these two weeks, the candidates’ programs will be available online, specifies the site Vie-publique.fr. There will also be “an official radio and television campaign for parties presenting candidates.”
June 30: first round of legislative elections
Emmanuel Macron opted for the shortest deadline in the 20 to 40 day window for holding the vote: the first round will take place on Sunday June 30, i.e. twenty-one days after the announcement of the dissolution. Voters will therefore be called to the polls to designate the 577 deputies who sit in the lower house, two years after the last legislative elections. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must obtain more than 50% of the votes cast, with a number of votes at least equal to 25% of the number of voters registered on the electoral lists.
July 7: second round of legislative elections
In constituencies where voters did not elect a candidate in the first round, a second round will be organized on Sunday July 7. The candidate who came first and the candidate who came second will be qualified, as well as any candidate having obtained a number of votes at least equal to 12.5% of the number of voters registered on the electoral lists.
“In the event that no candidate meets this condition, only the two candidates who come first can remain in the second round,” details Vie-publique.fr. The candidate who comes first with a relative majority is then elected deputy. In the event of a tie, the oldest is elected.
July 18: the new Assembly meets
“The National Assembly meets as of right on the second Thursday following its election”, provides article 12 of the Constitution. In this case, the second round of the legislative elections being scheduled for July 7, this date corresponds to Thursday July 18, 2024.