ISRAEL: French nationals take part in poll to decide which local candidate will represent them in the French Parliament, as second round of voting begins

Record ID: 397417

  • Title: ISRAEL: French nationals take part in poll to decide which local candidate will represent them in the French Parliament, as second round of voting begins
  • Date: 18th June 2012
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (JUNE 17, 2012) (REUTERS) WOMAN LOOKING AT PICTURES OF CANDIDATES IN FRENCH PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, HANGING OUTSIDE POLLING STATION IN FRENCH CONSULATE CLOSE OF PICTURES OF CANDIDATES FOR THE REPRESENTATION OF THE EIGHT'S CONSISTENCY HANGING ON WALL FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN ISRAEL CRISTOPHE BIGOT TAKING CANDIDATES' BALLOTS, VOTING BIGOT CASTING HIS BALLOT
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9DTQMCCJ97923ULZMK27XWHS3
  • Story Text: Israelis of French nationality cast their ballots on Sunday (June 17), as overseas voting began in the second round of France's parliamentary elections.
    Under an election reform passed by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, French nationalities living overseas were able for the first time to choose their candidates for the National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament.
    The June 10th and 17th votes were for all 577 seats of the French National Assembly.
    Of those, 566 are mainland France constituencies and the other 11 are for overseas territories, the National Assembly website says.
    The oversea territories are divided into 11 foreign constituencies, each sending one representative to the assembly. Israel is a part of the Eight's Constituency, along with Italy, Turkey, Greece, The Vatican, San Marino, Cyprus and Malta. According to Israeli media, 62,000 of 110,000 registered voters in the Eight's Constituency live in Israel. The two candidates who made it to the second round, Israeli media reported on Sunday, were both Israelis. Daphna Poznanski-Benhamou, of the Socialist Party and Valerie Hoffenberg, representing the UMP.
    "It's a bit early to calculate today's voting percentage... As you know, voting is a long process because it's the first time when it's possible to vote for deputies outside of France. This is why voters need to understand this formula and how important this is for democracy, and to be able to express themselves," French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot explained France's consulate in Tel Aviv, where he arrived to cast his own vote.
    France is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe. Thousands of French Jews moved to Israel in recent years, often citing the euro zone economic crisis and the rising number of anti-Semitic attacks.
    The latest killing of four Israelis, an Israeli Rabbi, two of his children and another child in a Jewish school in Toulouse on March 19th, is considered the deadliest anti-Semitic attack on French soil in nearly 30 years.
    "I'm trying to do my best to fulfil my civilian duty which is to vote, and of course to do my best for French people abroad," one French national told Reuters television.
    "I'm very concerned about what is going on in France and despite the fact that today I live in Israel, everything that happens in France, in Europe, is very important to me. This is why I'm here today with full awareness, to cast my vote," another voter explained in Tel Aviv.
    A Reuters video showed Poznanski-Benhamou arriving at the embassy to cast her vote.
    Opinion polls and seat projections from the June 10th first-round vote suggest the Socialist bloc could achieve the 289 seats needed for a majority in the 577-member National Assembly even without adding seats from its Green Party allies.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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