in the 5th constituency of French people living abroad, a campaign made complicated by distances… and the presence of Manuel Valls

Of the 577 deputies who sit in the National Assembly, 11 represent French people living abroad. Traditionally, the ballot does not mobilize our compatriots living abroad: in 2017, only 16% of registered voters voted in the first round of legislative elections, this is three times less than the national average.

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Hence the importance, for the candidates, of meeting the voters. In the 5th constituency, which covers Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Monaco, Laurent Goater is running under the banner of the Republicans. Between two meetings in Barcelona, ​​the candidate does his accounts: 5,000 kilometers traveled by car, around fifty meetings. “On average, my constituents are 1,500 km from where I livehe explains. Over the last three weeks of the campaign, I will have spent two nights in my bed!

Among the topics covered: taxation, pensions, teaching abroad, consular issues… “The population expects the deputy to solve local problems.” Sometimes the meetings take place in front of about fifty French expatriates, but the assistance is sometimes much more sparse: “I’ve had a few meetings with just one person! Well in the end, it’s extremely interestingsays Laurent Goater, because you have time to dedicate yourself to that person. She’s going to tell you everything that’s going on in her town, which I can’t do when there are 40 people.”

It’s not easy to travel through four countries, explains Robin Fontaine, 25, the representative of the small citizen movement Volt. Anyway, he only has a tight budget: 1,050 euros for the whole campaign. “We made the choice to travel by bus and train. We are lucky to be a party that is also present in Spain and Portugal, so when I traveled there I was staying with people, that made less campaign costs.”

Professor at the French high school in Barcelona, ​​Renaud Le Berre was invested by the New Popular, Ecological and Social Union of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. To save themselves tiring and costly trips to the islands, the candidate multiplies remote meetings: “It affects more people than public meetings. We have time to dialogue, to ask questions, to prepare well thematically. We record our meetings, which we can then replay on the networks. These videoconferences are absolutely necessary .”

200 km from Barcelona, ​​the small principality of Andorra and its some 3,500 French residents is also a must. That day, Stéphane Vojetta, the outgoing LREM deputy, went door to door, despite the storm and the rain. The candidate, who was not invested by the presidential party, gathered some support for the cultural center and took the opportunity to settle accounts with the one who recovered the nomination from La République en Marche: “I have lived in Spain for 18 years. I know that if Mr. Valls has a great reputation, he also has a problem with his image and popularity. If I am running in these elections, it is to be a deputy, not to become a minister or president or whatever. I want to be an effective MP.”

Catherine, 75, who has lived in Andorra for 35 years, indeed wonders about Manuel Valls: “What shocked me about him was that he said ‘I am Catalan, these are my origins’ in Barcelona, ​​and then ‘You know that France is my whole life’… This side’ I say what it takes to please’, that challenged me. If he is elected, will he do what he said? That’s the question everyone is asking. “

And the one who hopes to take advantage of this fratricidal duel between Manuel Valls and Stéphane Vojetta is called Nicolas Chamoux, candidate of the Reconquest party! by Eric Zemmour. “The parachuting of Manuel Valls and the maintenance as a dissident of the outgoing deputy Stéphane Vojetta have completely reshuffled the cardshe calculates. In fact, there will be a burst of voices from the Macronist camp. It opens up a real possibility that we get to the second round.”