The outgoing deputy of the French diaspora in North America, Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy in the government of Gabriel Attal (center), came out on top in the first round of the legislative elections with 39% of the vote. He is closely followed by the candidate of the New Popular Front (left), Oussama Laraichi, who obtained 36% of the popular vote. The two men will face each other this week in the second round, the results of which will be known on Sunday.
On the national level, the surprise vote called by President Emmanuel Macron on June 9 saw the National Rally (far right) come out on top in the first round last Sunday, ahead of the New Popular Front and Ensemble pour la République, President Macron’s party, which came in third place.
France is one of the few countries where expatriate citizens are represented by members of parliament. Despite the high voter turnout, the results here are, all in all, quite similar to those of the previous legislative elections. Mr. Lescure then obtained 36% of the vote in the first round, against 33% for his left-wing opponent, Florence Roger. The National Rally is, however, making strong progress: its candidate, Jennifer Adam, obtained 11% of the vote in the first round this year, compared to only 2% in the 2022 elections.
According to data published by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Roland Lescure won the most votes among French people who immigrated to the United States, with 48% of the vote, compared to 26% for Oussama Laraichi. Conversely, the latter came out on top in Canada with 47% of the vote, compared to 29% for the incumbent MP. A somewhat ironic situation, given that Mr. Lescure lived in Montreal for nine years and his left-wing opponent currently lives in Chicago.
It should be noted that citizens domiciled in Mexico are part of another constituency, which includes the rest of the countries of the American continent.
Towards the second round
“By excluding the National Rally and its allies from the first round, you have forcefully rejected the division and hatred that their representatives propagate,” Roland Lescure published on social networks on Sunday, before calling on voters to choose “a coherent and credible economic framework” rather than the “untenable promises and magic money” that he associates with the New Popular Front program.
With the second round in mind, the outgoing MP has also received the support of a former minister of ex-President Sarkozy, Xavier Bertrand, and former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, a candidate expected in the 2027 presidential election. Roland Lescure has also called on voters in the rest of France to “block the far right without hesitation”, even if it means supporting candidates from the New Popular Front in the second round.
At the time of writing, Mr. Lescure had not yet been available to grant us an interview.
“We are galvanized by the result, we are neck and neck with Mr. Lescure!” declared to Duty Wednesday Oussama Laraichi. The left-wing candidate immediately returned to campaigning for the second round. After holding a campaign rally in Quebec City Tuesday night, Mr. Laraichi addressed his supporters in Montreal Wednesday at a bar in the Rosemont neighborhood. He was due to return to Chicago Thursday to spend the rest of the campaign with his loved ones.
For her part, the far-right candidate, Jennifer Adam, particularly stood out among the French communities of Miami and Quebec. With 27% of the vote, she finished second in Miami, behind Roland Lescure (41%) but ahead of Oussama Laraichi (12%). However, she came in third place in the national capital, behind Mr. Laraichi (41%) and Mr. Lescure (24%). Mme Adam does not qualify for the second round.
Mr. Laraichi was pleased to see several Québec solidaire activists and elected officials, including Sol Zanetti and Ruba Ghazal, supporting his election campaign. “Left-wing ideas have no borders, it’s normal and reassuring to see Quebec allies worried about the rise of the far right,” he said. The RN candidate’s substitute, Aurélien Nambride, instead denounced this situation to The Canadian Presscalling it “foreign interference.”
High participation
The unprecedented enthusiasm for the French legislative elections has not waned across the Atlantic. The turnout rate of voters living in the 1D The electoral district of French people living abroad rose to 36% in the first round of the legislative elections. This is a record for a district where the turnout has been around 20% since 2012. Voter turnout was particularly strong in Montreal and Quebec, rising to 43% and 38% respectively.
Electronic voting, available since the 2022 elections, has proven very popular this year, despite numerous reports of voters having difficulty connecting to the voting platform. According to data from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nearly 77,000 voters voted electronically, while around 18,000 went to polling stations.
French immigrants can vote online since Wednesday at 6 a.m. (Montreal time) and had until Thursday at noon. Those who prefer to vote at the ballot box will be able to do so Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Centre Mont Royal. In Quebec City, the polling station will be at Collège Stanislas.