“There is not too much suspense, it will be a Szpiner-Haddad duel”. 7 p.m. this Sunday, the polling stations in the 14th district of Paris are still open for an hour, but in the opinion of the voters of the four polling stations located in the town hall of the 16th arrondissement of the capital, the poster of the second round is no doubt, and will oppose their mayor, the candidate Les Républicains Francis Szpiner, to that of Together!, the presidential majority, Benjamin Haddad, former defector of the UMP. The forecasts were right, and the two candidates will face each other in a week for the second round of the legislative elections.
“I vote Szpiner to support LR”
Impeccable suit, Côme, 23, freshly graduated from business school, has just done his duty. His civic duty, and his duty to his party of hearts. “I voted Szpiner, especially to support LR”, explains the young man, whose friend, Philomène also slipped a Szpiner ballot into the ballot box. In this constituency, many voters are won over to the lawyer, mayor of the 16th district since 2020. “Szpiner is quite iconic here”, confides Thomas when leaving the polling station. “He is the natural heir of Claude Goasguen, who was very popular in his constituency,” adds another.
Like Philomène and Côme, Cécile and Grégoire also voted LR twice. “It was rather the party that convinced me,” says Grégoire. And then, it’s important to go and vote already: it’s a national election, to designate those who will vote for our laws, ”he insists. But beyond this election, “LR will need a charismatic leader”, believes the young man
“I only think of Macron”
If Thomas recognizes a strong popularity in his borough mayor, he chose to vote for Benjamin Haddad. “When you mobilize for the presidential election, it doesn’t make sense not to do it for the legislative elections, it’s the logical next step. So I voted for the presidential majority”.
“I only think of Macron, all I want is for him to have the parliamentary majority for him”, confides a voter who volunteered to participate in the counting.
Tight results
At 7:50 p.m., a 50-year-old hastened to vote while there was still time. Ten minutes later, end of votes. In the beautiful halls of the town hall of the 16th arrondissement converted into a polling station, the assessors dismantle the voting booths and set up the tables where the volunteers will proceed to the counting of the ballots. In polling station number 2, the first ballot is in the name of Francis Szpiner. The second is in the name of Benjamin Haddad. The tone is set.
After several hundred envelopes opened, a trend emerges at Fabrice’s table: “It’s more like Szpiner in the lead, but just barely, followed by Haddad”. In this polling station, the results are tight: 316 votes for Francis Szpiner, 311 for Benjamin Haddad. “As Léon Zitrone said, there will be a photo to decide between them”, comments Michèle, assessor. But the screen which transcribes the results in real time in the whole of the constituency indicates that it is the candidate of the majority who is at the head of the ballot, followed by the mayor LR of the 16th.
“It’s time for mobilization”, “to convince and win”
A little before 10:20 p.m., the final results fall: the second round will oppose Benjamin Haddad, who came first with 39.27% of the vote, against Francis Szpiner, who obtains 33.28% of the vote. Followed by candidate Nupes Julie Maury (11.45%) and Sébastien Pilard (10.36%), candidate Reconquest ex-LR. “The postponement of Pilard’s votes should benefit Francis Szpiner,” said Michèle, the assessor. An analysis shared a few minutes later by a young LR activist, sure that this will allow Francis Szpiner to win the second round in a week.
For the main interested party, the battle is on. “We are on ballot, we are 6 points behind, but I note that the majority of the inhabitants of the 16th arrondissement have spoken out against Emmanuel Macron and his candidate. So if we manage to mobilize all those who refuse to give a blank check to the President of the Republic and to a candidate whose only program is to say: “I am the President of the Republic’s man”, we can win. It’s time to mobilize,” said Francis Szpiner on Sunday evening at 20 minutes.
Same combative mood for his opponent. “A huge thank you to the 39.3% of voters who put me at the head of the 1st round in the 14th district of Paris, reacted Benjamin Haddad on Sunday evening on Twitter. Now a week to beat the ground, convince yourself and win! “.
Source: 20minutes
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.
