“Suddenly, I become a spectator of the election, I am no longer an actor.” A teacher in Shanghai since August 2018, Alexandre Chauvel will not be voting for president for the first time. He who is usually interested “to civic life”, finds himself deprived of this fundamental right in democracy for the first round of the ballot, Sunday, April 10, due to the confinement imposed within the economic capital of China. Face to the resurgence of cases of Covid-19, the city of Shanghai has been put under a bell, first in part, then in full since the beginning of April. Therefore, all residents are prohibited from leaving their homes. And the French are no exception, including slipping a ballot into the ballot box. “We are forced abstainers”deplores Alexandre Chauvel, joined by franceinfo.
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The French consulate in China, responsible for organizing the presidential election for French expatriates, tried to negotiate with the authorities. “We have offered local authorities an exemption system for going to vote”, explains to franceinfo the consul, Benoît Guided. Without success. The French Embassy in China sent a message on Friday to the 5,200 French nationals in Shanghai, in which it explained that“due to these exceptional circumstances which are the official impossibility to move (…) it was decided not to open the polling stations of Shanghai for the first round of the presidential election”.
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“I’m disappointed, of course”says Jordane, who sent the message from the embassy to franceinfo. “The presidential election is something that connects us to France. It is a strong democratic act, it is important to participate in it”, insists the one who works in finance and has lived in Shanghai for eleven years, with husband and children. Like many other French people, Jordane says to herself “disappointed”but not “surprise” of this decision. “The confinement is very strict here, so I don’t see how the authorities could have accepted that we go out”, she comments.
“Even being far away, we still want to participate in the political life of the country, to also tell ourselves that there could be certain solutions put in place. And then finally, we realize that it’s not going to be the case, so we’re frustrated.” regrets Mathieu, also living in Shanghai. Solutions, that’s what Carole Gabay, volunteer of the Solidarité Covid association, which provides information to French people in China on the evolution of the epidemic since 2020, tried to find. “I am in contact with the adviser for French people living abroad and my first reaction was to say ‘it is absolutely necessary to set up an electronic vote'”she says to franceinfo.
But, for security reasons and “risks of hacking”it’s impossible. Unlike legislative elections, the law does not allow online voting for the presidential election, explains RFI Guillaume Mallet, representative of French people living abroad in Shanghai. It is also impossible to make proxies by videoconference. “I deduce that there is a heavy bureaucracy. It’s a shame”, deplores Carole Gabay. Conditions that disrupt the ballot for all French people in China.
Gaël Caron understands the situation, and adapts to itwho has been living in the country for several years. “I got used to this rigidity so it only surprises me halfway, let’s say”, testifies this Cannes resident interviewed by France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. “There is nothing surprising here, nobody votes, voting is not common in China, as you can know, so make an exception for foreigners, and in particular the French who have to go vote, I think it’s really not the priority”, he believes.
In recent days, the priority for all Shanghai residents, regardless of their nationality, is to be sufficiently supplied with water and food. Alexandre Chauvel, who lives with his Chinese partner, was worried about it, because since the start of confinement, home deliveries have stopped. Until he receives, in the night from Saturday to Sunday, “a large basket with vegetables and meat” from the government. “We have enough to last two weeks, while some Chinese are really in need.”
“We organize ourselves by residence. We spend a third of the day looking for ways to get delivery. For water too, it’s difficult, we’re not used to drinking tap water”, completes Jordane, whose priority is also to manage the school at home. Until when ? China’s “zero Covid” strategy does not allow “no visibility on a containment exit”, believes the expatriate. As far as the second round of the presidential election is concerned, everything will depend on “the evolution of local health standards”, says the embassy. Jordane still hopes to vote on April 24. Or in June, for the legislative elections.