47.9 million voters are called to vote on Sundays April 10 and 24, 2022 to elect the next president of the Fifth Republic. But the calendar of candidates for the Elysée has other stages. France Bleu takes stock.
- January 30, 2022: start of sponsorship collection
According to the law of March 29, 2021, voters are summoned by a decree published at least ten weeks before the date of the first round. For the candidates, this act officially launches the campaign to collect 500 elected official sponsorships (mayors, deputies, senators, regional and departmental councillors, etc.) from at least 30 different overseas departments or communities, necessary to be able to present themselves.
- March 4, 2022: deadline for submitting sponsorships
The sponsorship collection period ends no later than the sixth Friday before the first round, i.e. March 4, at 6 p.m. The Constitutional Council post at least twice a week during the period of receipt of sponsorships, then discloses the entirety at the end of the collection period (at least eight days before the first round).
- March 4, 2022: deadline for registration on the electoral lists
Voters have until March 4 to register on the electoral lists in order to be able to vote in the first round (March 18 for the second). In previous presidential elections, you had to register no later than December 31 of the year preceding the election. A new decree, dated December 22, 2021, extends the process until the sixth Friday preceding the vote. It is possible to check its registration on the site of the French administration. To vote, you must: be of French nationality, be of legal age, enjoy their civil and political rights and be registered on the electoral lists. In 2021 according to INSEE, 47.9 million voters were registered on national territory, excluding New Caledonia, including 1.4 million residing outside France and registered on a consular list.
- March 11, 2022: publication of the list of candidates
It is no later than the fourth Friday before the ballot, i.e. March 11, 2022, that the government must publish the official list of candidates, after prior validation by the Constitutional Council, an institution responsible for verifying that each of the candidates meets the conditions of entry. eligibility and that he has complied with his declaration obligations (declaration of assets, declaration of interests and activities and the commitment to submit, in the event of election, a new declaration of assets at the end of his term of office ).
- March 28, 2022: start of the official campaign
The official campaign begins two weeks before the first round of voting: March 28. It is interrupted on Friday April 8 at midnight. The rules for speaking time and airtime are changing: candidates will have to benefit from equal – and no longer just fair – representation in the media.
- April 10, 2022: first round of the presidential election
On July 13, 2021, the Council of Ministers set the dates for the presidential election, after consultation with the political parties. Voting will take place during a school holiday period : April 10, only zone B will be on vacation. On April 24, all zones, A, B and C, will be on vacation. The first round will begin on Saturday April 9 in certain overseas communities to take into account the time difference. Provisional results will be communicated during the evening by the media and polling institutes, from 8 p.m., when the last polling station closes. The ministry communicates the results by municipality over the counting. The publication of the results in Official newspaper will indicate the resumption of the campaign.
- April 24, 2022: second round of the presidential election
The French are called to the polls to appoint the future President of the Republic between the two candidates who came out on top in the first round.
- May 13, 2022: deadline for the new president to take office
Once elected, the winning candidate must take office no later than the last day of the incumbent president’s term. The entry into office of Emmanuel Macron dating back to May 4, 2017, that of his successor will take place no later than May 13, 2022.
- June 24, 2022: deadline for filing presidential campaign accounts
The closed campaign accounts must be submitted to the Constitutional Council, which then has six months to validate them and determine the amount to be reimbursed to the candidates according to their results in the ballot. Reimbursement amounts to 47.5% of the expenditure ceiling for those who obtained more than 5% of the votes cast in the first round, and 4.75% for the others.