FRANCE: Le Pen voters in French village torn between Sarkozy and blank ballot for election run-off

Record ID: 327774

  • Title: FRANCE: Le Pen voters in French village torn between Sarkozy and blank ballot for election run-off
  • Date: 5th May 2012
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (French) ROBERT SPEMENT SAYING: "Personally I am against immigration, there are too many foreigners in France, a very big problem for the majority is unfortunately due to these people." STREET SCENE PEOPLE AT CAFE CHARLES BORDE WALKING DOWN STREET BORDE GOING INTO A BAKERY (SOUNDBITE) (French) CHARLES BORDE SAYING: "During the debate, Hollande seemed to have forgotten about the crisis, whereas there is a crisis, which is not over because it appears it is in front of us, rather than behind us. And that scares me a bit. Mr Sarkozy has been here for five years, he was able to maintain a situation that is not as bad a situation as other European countries around us. I trust Mr Sarkozy more." STREET SCENE NATIONAL FRONT SUPPORTER PATRICK FERNANDEZ IN OFFICE
  • Embargoed: 20th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8VUULWR3FS89TXOSH8DJ32TGK
  • Story Text: National Front voters in the small French town of Vauvert were undecided on Friday (May 4) as they prepared to cast their ballots in the second round of the French presidential elections this weekend.
    In the country as a whole, the far right leader Marine Le Pen garnered almost one in five votes cast in the first round -- the highest ever score for a National Front candidate.
    Nowhere was this surge in support more pronounced than in Vauvert where over thirty percent of voters cast their ballot for Le Pen, leaving her eight points clear of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and six points clear of Socialist Francois Hollande.
    The town of 11,000 people has a decades-long history of voting for the far-right. Only in 2007 did Jean Marie Le Pen come behind both Sarkozy and the then Socialist candidate Segolene Royale.
    Some in the town, have decided to cast a blank ballot, saying neither of the candidates found favour with them. Le Pen herself has refused to endorse either candidate.
    "Neither of the two finalists do not represent my position, so I think now my only choice is to cast a blank vote," Christophe Molina, a bus driver said.
    "I am hesitating, but if it's like this, I will just cast a blank ballot. Because, it's not worth it, it's not what we wanted, we didn't get what what we wanted to hear," another voter, Jacqueline Spement said.
    Her husband said that one of the main issues in the election for him was immigration.
    "Personally I am against immigration, there are too many foreigners in France, a very big problem for the majority is unfortunately due to these people," he said.
    Others chose to vote for Sarkozy because they were less convinced by Hollande who they said had not addressed their concerns.
    "During the debate, Hollande seemed to have forgotten about the crisis, whereas there is a crisis, which is not over because it appears it is in front of us, rather than behind us. And that scares me a bit. Mr Sarkozy has been here for five years, he was able to maintain a situation that is not as bad a situation as other European countries around us. I trust Mr Sarkozy more," said Charles Borde.
    Having lagged the blander Hollande for weeks, Sarkozy's hopes for political survival rest on winning over around 80 percent of Le Pen's voters and at least half of centrist Francois Bayrou's - a tall order - as well as mobilising first-round abstentionists.
    Final opinion polls showed Hollande's lead had narrowed to as little as five points. But Sarkozy looked too far adrift after his rival turned in a polished performance in their only television debate on Wednesday, and far-right and centrist leaders deserted the unpopular president.
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