It is a configuration that has not been seen in legislative elections for over 50 years: this Sunday there will be two four-way elections. In these two districts, voters will have a choice between four different candidates. A rarity made possible this year by the high participation (66.7%), which allowed the qualification threshold for the second round to be lowered.
In total, five quadrangles could have been held following the first round, in Saône-et-Loire, Val-de-Marne or even Finistère, but this Sunday, after various cancellations, only two will take place.
In the Vendée, the quadrangular, devoid of intrigue
In the 4th arrondissement of Vendée, the favourite is the outgoing unregistered MP Véronique Besse. Elected since 2004 in this bastion of Philippe de Villiers – he was MP for 17 years – this close friend of the founder of the Puy du Fou party was well ahead in the first round last Sunday, with 39.3% of the vote.
Véronique Besse has made her mark in the National Assembly with her commitment to opposing marriage for all and the constitutionalization of abortion. She has also introduced a bill in 2023 to ban all strikes in the transport sector during school holidays.
Faced with this, three candidates managed to qualify by obtaining at least 12.5% of the votes of registered voters. This is the case with the RN candidate Jacques Proulx, who obtains 22.9% of the votes (i.e. 15.61% of registered voters), with the presidential majority candidate Ilias Nagnonou, who obtains 18.5% of the votes (i.e. 12.6% of registered voters) and the Union of the Left candidate Julie Marielle-Godard, who is in fourth place with 18.42% (or 12.57% of registered voters).
As of Sunday evening, the ensemble’s candidate considered “leaving unthinkable.” The candidate of the New Popular Front also decided to stay, despite her party’s instructions, due to the significant preponderance of the two right-wing candidates.
In the Rhone it is almost triangular
The 8th Rhône district is a quadrangle similar to a triangle. On paper, four candidates have passed the qualification threshold. The RN representative, Jonathan Gray, is well ahead of the first round, with 33.5% of the vote. In second place, the Union of the Left candidate Anne Raimbaud has 22.7% of the vote. The presidential majority candidate (by a small margin) is third with 21.1% of the vote, followed by the outgoing LR deputy Nathalie Serre with 20.7%.
The candidate and outgoing LR MP refused to step down, believing that she was “the only one capable of uniting the people” against the RN. So these are the four applications that were submitted to the Rhone prefecture on Tuesday evening.
But suddenly, a few minutes after the closing date for applications, the candidate supported by the presidential majority, Dominique Despras, announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy “in a spirit of responsibility and republican spirit” in the face of the “unreasonable and dangerous decisions” of the LR candidate.
If his candidacy can no longer be formally withdrawn, voters in the 8th district of the Rhône should not find ballot papers in his name on Sunday, since the candidate has the option of not delivering them. A configuration that could ultimately favor the candidate of the New Popular Front in the face of a split of right-wing votes between the RN candidate and the outgoing LR MP.
Source: Le Parisien
I have worked in the news industry for over 12 years. I have a vast amount of experience in different areas of the industry, including politics. I am currently a political news writer for 24 News Recorder. I have also written a book about politics. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, as well as traveling.
