POPULAR PRIMARY. A few days before the opening of the vote in the popular Primary, the lists of voters and candidates were drawn up. Here is all the information on the ballot.
“A good surprise”, “a very strong symbol”… The popular Primary has not yet chosen its winner, but the organizers are already welcoming the process they have launched several months ago, announcing that 467,000 people have registered to participate in the ballot. This is four times more than for the Primary EELV and the Primary LR, but still far from the Citizen Primary of 2017 (2 million) or even that organized by the right and the center the same year (4.4 million ). “It’s a good surprise because it means that this is the first decision-making process for this presidential election for a citizens’ movement that is independent of parties, independent of organizations. It is a very strong symbol to see that citizens can burst into the electoral game unexpectedly and try to seize the political question for themselves without being a party”, rejoiced, Monday January 24, 2022 on Franceinfo, Samuel Grzybowski, spokesperson for the popular primary.
However, this ballot will be organized in a tense context, marked by the categorical refusal of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Yannick Jadot and Anne Hidalgo to recognize the result of the vote, even if their names will be proposed to voters. Their differences and disagreements being too great, neither wants to side with the other, no matter what the voters decide. Revelations from Le Canard enchaîné on January 19, 2022 also came to shake the process: a video by Samuel Grzybowski is unveiled in which he calls for “criticism”.[er] more and more “the trio on social networks”. Private recording “for internal use, taken out of context” replied the organization. What to accentuate the questions on a primary which aimed at the union and which should lead to an even more accentuated fragmentation of the left, Christiane Taubira being the favorite and counting well to be one more candidacy until the end.
What is People’s Primary?
The paternity of a primary for a single candidate on the left does not go to Anne Hidalgo and her stillborn proposal for a “primary of the left” formulated at the beginning of December. In February 2021, the Popular Primary was launched with the objective of defining a “common base of ten measures of rupture with 13 political parties and inspired by the demands of the social movements of recent years”. The measures are then divided into three themes: an ecological republic, a social republic and a democratic republic.
They then had until the end of November to say whether or not they wanted to participate in the primary. “There were not enough of them to commit to the process. We have therefore, with the validation of our signatories through a massive consultation, chosen to continue the project in the form of a citizen nomination, with or without the agreement of the candidates”, specifies the organization. On January 15, 2022, the final list of successful names was announced.
Who are the People’s Primary Candidates?
The sponsorship system of the Popular Primary has therefore made it possible to define, in the end, seven personalities able, according to the voters, to carry the common base defined in the presidential election. Several prominent politicians have been named, while other lesser-known actors have also been included in the list of personalities to vote for (without necessarily being candidates). They are Anna-Agueb Pottery, Anne Hidalgo, Yannick Jadot, Pierre Larrouturou, Charlotte Marchandise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Christiane Taubira.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the Popular Primary
“We demand that his name be removed from all physical and digital media.” Manuel Bompard’s press release of Wednesday January 19, 2022 is clear: Jean-Luc Mélenchon does not want to be associated with the Popular Primary. The campaign manager of the LFI presidential candidate judges that “this vote is akin to a kind of poll without any of the basic rules making it possible to guarantee its sincerity being respected”. Since the launch of the initiative, and although his name has been proposed, Jean-Luc Mélenchon does not want to hear about this election. The deputy of Bouches-du-Rhône has always been opposed to it, judging that too great differences existed between the left-wing contenders for the Elysée, making any union impossible, whether via the popular primary or not. Despite its end of inadmissibility, the name of the Insoumis will be put to the vote and could collect votes.
What is the voting date for the popular Primary?
Voting, 100% digital, will open on Thursday January 27, 2022 at 10 a.m. and close on Sunday January 30 at 5 p.m.
Who votes in the popular Primary?
To be able to participate in the vote during the popular Primary, it was necessary to fulfill three conditions: to be at least 16 years old, to be French and “to recognize oneself in the spirit of the common base” built by the organization of the vote. It was possible to register until Sunday 23 January. The list of participants being now closed, 467,000 people will be able to take part in the ballot according to the figures communicated by the organizers.
What are the poll results?
As for the EELV and LR primaries, no poll on popular Primary voting intentions was carried out. On the other hand, a study carried out exclusively by YouGov for Linternaute showed that the majority of left-wing voters wanted candidates of their political persuasion to submit to the result of this primary (65%), when 20% judged that no and 15% expressed no opinion on the subject. On the other hand, voters on the left judge at 59% that the process will not allow the union behind the winning candidate (26% yes, 11% do not know, 4% have not heard of the primary).
When will the results of the People’s Primary be known?
The results of the popular Primary will be known on Sunday, January 30, 2022, after 5 p.m., after four days of voting. The fully digital ballot will begin on Thursday 27 January. For the time being, the organizers have not specified the methods for announcing the results. The name of the leading candidate should be revealed on social networks.