This is one of the challenges of this second round of the presidential election for Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen: winning over the voters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came third in the first round with 21.95% of the vote. As in 2017, rebellious France launched this Wednesday a online consultation to collect the wishes of activists for April 24. 320,000 people who sponsored the candidacy of Jean-Luc Mélenchon online before the first round, last Sunday at 8:00 p.m., at the time of the results, are concerned. Those who joined the movement after this date cannot participate.
Vote Emmanuel Macron, vote blank or null, or abstain
This consultation aims to decide between “vote Emmanuel Macron, vote blank or null, or abstain”. The question of a vote in favor of Marine Le Pen is not asked. Scalded by the ambiguous trials that had been made to him five years ago, Jean-Luc Mélenchon called on his activists not to “not give a single voice to Mrs. Le Pen” after the first round.
“I want to repeat myself” writes the LFI leader on the movement’s website. “During the campaign, I sufficiently explained how much this opposition between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen was not up to the problems of the country, in particular in the face of the ecological and social emergency (…) However, the one and the other are not equivalent. Marine Le Pen adds to the project of social mistreatment that she shares with Emmanuel Macron a dangerous leaven of ethnic and religious exclusion. A people can be destroyed by this type of division. We all know that she is equal to no other evil. I admit that my assessment here is as much moral and philosophical as it is political. That is why I have said and I repeat that not one voice should fall on the candidate of extreme right.”
320,000 activists consulted
Once the consultation is over, on April 16 at 8 p.m., the site will display a card with the results of the different choices. “Whatever the result, it should not be interpreted as an instruction given to anyone, neither between us nor for those who listen to us and trust us. further specifies Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “It will indicate what our assessments are in their diversities. Everyone will conclude and vote in conscience, as they see fit.”
7,714,574 voters slipped a Mélenchon ballot into the ballot box on Sunday, far from the 320,000 people entitled to participate in this consultation.