After the earthquake of the dissolution of the National Assembly announced by Emmanuel Macron, voters are preparing to vote in the early legislative elections of June 30 and June 7.
Many of them were taken by surprise by the announcement, and are somewhat lost in the middle of this mess. Power of attorney, campaign dates, candidates… There is no shortage of outstanding questions. L’Express takes stock.
How to vote by proxy?
The proxy is a very practical democratic tool. Especially since January 1, 2022, the date since which we can give proxy to a voter registered on the electoral lists of a municipality other than their own. The only constraint: the agent must go to the principal’s polling station to vote in his place.
How it works ? If part of the procedures can be carried out online (on maprocuration.gouv.fr), you must then go to the police station or gendarmerie of your choice.
What if that’s not possible? “If a disability or serious illness prevents you from traveling, you can ask for a police or gendarmerie officer to come to your home or to the specialized establishment where you are to verify your identity,” specifies the website of the French government. You must make this request in writing and attach a sworn statement indicating that you are unable to travel.
With this new election, several questions still arise. For example, can we take several proxies? It depends. On the day of the vote, the designated voter can only have a proxy established in France. However, he has the right to add a power of attorney made abroad.
What if you are absent for a long period of time? Then it is possible to request a power of attorney for the two rounds or “a given duration, within the limit of one year, from the date of its establishment. For French people established outside France, it can be valid until ‘three years provided that it has been established by the consular authority of the place of residence”, specifies the website of the Ministry of the Interior.
Note that you can give a proxy until the day before the vote, therefore Saturday July 29 and 6, even if it is recommended to do so as early as possible.
When will the electoral campaign start?
While the first round of legislative elections will be held on June 30 and the second on July 7, the official campaign will only begin on Monday June 17, fifteen days before the first round. It will end on Friday July 5, two days before the election.
During these fifteen days, speaking time in the media will be counted. “As of June 11, 2024, the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) recommends that all audiovisual media count speaking times linked to legislative elections. Publishers must send their statements to the Arcom twice a week starting June 17,” explains the site Public Life.
When should applications be submitted?
The timetable is tight for legislative candidates. It is governed by article L-157 of the Electoral Code: “Declarations of candidacy must be submitted, in duplicate, to the prefecture no later than 6 p.m. on the fourth Friday preceding election day.” However, lawyers recalled that this date would correspond to June 7 – two days before the announcement made by Emmanuel Macron. The executive closed the debate with a presidential decree.
Future MPs must submit their candidacy between Wednesday June 12 and Sunday June 16 – they have until 6 p.m. According to this decree, for the second round of July 7, “declarations of candidacy will be submitted from the announcement of the results” and “until Tuesday July 2” at 6 p.m. “After the submission of candidatures, the prefecture services verify that the declarations of candidacy meet the conditions set by the electoral code and that the candidates are eligible. An order then establishes the list of candidates”, specifies the site Public Life.
Will the MP from my constituency show up?
To begin with, the mandate of the 577 candidates ends with this dissolution of the National Assembly. And it is only after the submission of candidacies that we will know the faces of those who are running in our constituencies. While some parties have announced that they will create a joint list, it remains to be seen which candidates will be put forward in the ballot. Among the outgoing deputies who should run again: Claire Colomb-Pitollat (Renaissance deputy for the 7th and 8th arrondissement of Marseille), the LFI deputy for the Somme François Ruffin or even the ecologist Delphine Batho in Deux-Sèvres.
Will there be new legislation in 2027?
With this dissolution, the entire electoral calendar is turned upside down. While the next legislative elections were scheduled for June 2027, after the next presidential election, they will finally take place in June 2029. If he wishes, the next president can decide after his election to dissolve the National Assembly to obtain a majority.