Marine Le Pen came in well ahead, and the results of Emmanuel Macron are considered disappointing at the top of the state. A few figures to grasp the extent of the RN vote in Overseas: Marine Le Pen collected 69% of the votes in Guadeloupe, 60% in Martinique, Guyana, Reunion or Mayotte.
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Even more striking, five years ago, in all these territories, it was Emmanuel Macron who folded the match with sometimes 75% of the vote. Electorally, it is therefore a complete reversal of the situation, even if it is necessary to moderate these figures because of abstention. On average, overseas, more than one in two voters did not turn out on Sunday.
To explain this push by Marine Le Pen overseas, a clear answer: a rejection of Emmanuel Macron and social discontent. The Covid-19 and the tensions over the vaccination obligation have left their mark in these territories. In Marine Le Pen’s team, it is said that she is the only one to talk about the problems of ultra-marines, such as purchasing power, running water or even chlordecone. “This is the first policy to be really interested in overseas since Jacques Chirac”, deciphers one of his relatives. Within the executive, it is answered that Marine Le Pen has mainly won the protest voices of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came out on top in the 1st round. The two candidates have moreoversurfed the anti-vax wave…”,says a joking adviser “the proportion of non-vaccinated in the West Indies sticks to Marine Le Pen’s score”.
Anyway, politically, this score in Overseas remains a blow for Emmanuel Macron. Especially since he had appointed overseas Sébastien Lecornu, a very political minister responsible for fighting the far right. So it failed. “The president was disappointed with the results”, we recognize soberly at the Elysée. We imagine that he was even a little more than “disappointed“.
Within the majority, the scores in Overseas make teeth cringe. “There is a Lecornu problem” wrote to franceinfo a macronist. The minister’s entourage unites: “He is in all the meetings, he was the only right-wing minister in the boxes during the debate“, slips one of his friends. The Elysée does not let go of this young minister who could even obtain a promotion during an upcoming reshuffle: “He’s not in trouble.” confirms a close friend of Emmanuel Macron. At the Elysée, moreover, we remember that Sébastien Lecornu worked to obtain a “no” to the referendum of self-determination of New Caledonia: “That’s what saves him”, tackles a member of the executive.