ten Mélenchon voters explain their choice for the second round between Macron and Le Pen

They all made the same choice in the first round, but go in scattered order for the second. The voters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, candidate of La France insoumise who arrived in third position on April 10, must now position themselves for the final duel, Sunday April 24, between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. If some already hear “to block” and vote for the incumbent, many plan to abstain or vote blank. Still others say they are undecided or lean towards the candidate of the National Rally.

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From Pas-de-Calais to Bouches-du-Rhône, via Paris, Lille and Indre-et-Loire in particular, franceinfo gives the floor to ten voters of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, met at random during their races, d a stroll or an RER journey. Ten women and men, aged 18 to 85, of various origins, faced with the same dilemma.

“I will block the far right”

Cathy Pernaud, 71, retired, Sausset-les-Pins (Bouches-du-Rhône). “I regret that for so little we missed the opportunity to eliminate Marine Le Pen straight away and to have a real debate of ideas. But I will do everything to prevent her from coming to power. I will barrage on the far right, as in 2017. I will vote Macron without illusion but without hesitation either. I am not at all satisfied with him. He is on the right, all he says is powder to the eyes, but he is still less dangerous than Marine Le Pen. Even if I am afraid that we will pay ourselves a third social round if he is re-elected…”

“We will have the president we deserve”

Leila, 33, specialist educator, Vitrolles (Bouches-du-Rhône). “I will have to vote blank. I will not be able to vote for Macron a second time, after 2017. He lied to us a lot, about pensions for example, and he is not close to us. We do not feel respected. He still came in ahead in the first round and he is still leading in the polls.We will have the president we deserve.

This year, I had a little more hope for Mélenchon. I liked his program, the minimum wage at 1,400 euros, ecology, the sharing of wealth… And I like his personality. I know a lot of people don’t like it too much, but I find it authentic. Five years ago, I cried on the evening of the first round.

“Macron, we’re fed up. Le Pen, I find her racist”

Yanis Boudraoui, 18, high school student in plumbing, Grigny (Essonne). “I don’t think I’m going to vote in the second round. Macron, we’re fed up. He said old things about retirement. Le Pen, I find it racist. Mélenchon, he was for the increase in the smic, for young people, for the legalization of cannabis… He was a nice guy, who made a good campaign on social networks. In real life, Macron is still better than Le Pen. She is too far-right.”

“What can Le Pen do worse?”

Amna, 28, accountant, Deuil-la-Barre (Val-d’Oise). “I voted for Mélenchon in the first round to go to the second. I suspected that the others wouldn’t pass. It was strategic. A useful vote. Now I’m really hesitating. I’m sure to go vote. A lot of people want to vote blank, I don’t. I’ll make a choice, but I don’t know which one yet.

I will inquire, read in detail the two programs. Macron, I had voted for him in 2017 but I was not at all interested in the presidential election, I had voted under the influence. Seeing him again for five years doesn’t bother me. And Marine Le Pen, although we may have prejudices about her, she may do things. Admittedly, she’s a little racist, but what could she do worse than what we already had today?“

“I’m waiting for the debate to decide”

Michèle Delpierre, 72, retired, Bruay-la-Buissière (Pas-de-Calais). “It’s a shame because Mélenchon was not far from passing in the first round! I liked what he said about purchasing power, retirement… For the second round, I don’t know Still what I’m going to do. Macron, we’re fed up. Le Pen, we’ve never tried. I’m waiting for the duel to decide! They will debate and we’ll see then.”

“Macron will pass without my voice”

Denise Salat, 85, retired, Tours (Indre-et-Loire). “At my age, this may be the last time I will vote. It will be a blank or void ballot. There is no question of voting for Macron again, even if the polls tighten by then. thought is that Le Pen will not pass. My comfort is that Macron will pass without my vote. At the time, he seemed a little left. And he said that there would be no more extreme right at the end of his mandate, resulting in twice as many.

Le Pen embodies disorder. She has changed, she respects institutions, but I don’t trust her. If I voted Mélenchon, me the socialist of always, it was to prevent Le Pen from reaching the second round. I now hope that my vote has strengthened Mélenchon and that he will gain momentum in the opposition. We’re going to need it.”

“I have no idea what I’m going to do”

François Dehoze, professor of philosophy, 51 years old, Lille (Nord). “It’s a disaster, I have no idea what I’m going to do. Either I won’t vote or I’ll vote blank, I think. Macron, it’s impossible for me. It’s a certainty absolute. Le Pen, I think it’s no, even if, with his presidency, there would be a clearly identified enemy. The media, which would then find it difficult to serve the soup of the government, would become a sort of counter-power This is an argument that weighs for me.

The debate between the two rounds will not help me make my decision. The dice are loaded, there can no longer be any substantive debate, it’s too late. The two candidates will only make half promises, half arrangements. For me, this will be played out in discussions with those around me. And if Le Pen passes, I won’t be any the sicker.”

“Marine Le Pen scares me”

Eloïse Kolodzieski, 19, bakery worker, Bruay-la-Buissière (Pas-de-Calais). “For the second round, I am sure and certain to vote for Macron. I’m not going to vote blank, so that Marine Le Pen doesn’t pass. She scares me ! However, Macron, I don’t really agree with him: he wanted to make college pay, I didn’t see any changes in ecology… But he managed the Covid crisis well, I think. All this will not take away my disappointment that Mélenchon passed so close to the second round. I’ve wanted to vote for him since college! Even my grandmother was for Mélenchon. I have the same ideas as him. His schedule was good.”

“I find them both dangerous”

Aline Duclos, 62, shiatsu practitioner, Grand-Pressigny (Indre-et-Loire). “This time, I’m going to vote blank. In 2017, I voted Macron in the second round, but the story of the barrage at the FN, it no longer works for me. I’ve already voted Chirac, Macron… There, I can’t anymore. Everything has disgusted me in this five-year term. I find Macron dangerous, just like Marine Le Pen. It scares me to see that liberalism, the right and the extreme right are in the majority in this country. I don’t couldn’t vote for someone like that, it wouldn’t make sense.

If I voted Mélenchon, it was in particular to change the Constitution and get out of this pyramidal, aristocratic operation, where everything is decided at the top. I want more horizontality. And of course we stop fattening the rich and give more to the poor.”

“My blank vote is to make it clear that we don’t agree”

Yamina, 67, retired, Marignane (Bouches-du-Rhône). “For the second round, I’m going to vote, but I’m going to vote blank. Neither one nor the other. Everyone tells me it’s not good, but I don’t want Macron or Le Pen: My blank vote is to make it clear that we don’t agree, even if it’s a shame that it doesn’t count. I have worked all my life in the food industry and I receive 750 euros per month in retirement. I would like to earn a little more. Macron, it was the catamaran. So I voted for Mélenchon. In 2017 already, I had voted for him. Sunday evening, when the results of the first round were announced, I cried.”