towards record abstention?

The under 24s are the age group that has the least moved in the presidential election. More than 40% abstained in the first round. “I would like to go and vote because it matters for our future, but I wouldn’t know who to vote for”, says a young woman. In Cambrai, in the North, there is a lot of disillusionment. “It hasn’t happened for years. We’re fed up. We’d rather spend a Sunday with the family than go and vote”, says a fishmonger. Opinion polls show a certain lack of interest in these legislative elections.

“You have an opposition electorate, particularly on the left, which is mobilizing relatively well thanks to Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s campaign. On the other side, you have a fairly significant lack of interest from the French for this election”, explains Benjamin Morel, lecturer in public law at the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas. Five years ago, abstention was 51% in the first round.