FRANCE: THE FRENCH LEFT IS VOTING FOR CONSERVATIVE JACQUES CHIRAC TO STOP FAR-RIGHT LEADER JEAN-MARIE LE PEN BECOMING PRESIDENT

Record ID: 648839

  • Title: FRANCE: THE FRENCH LEFT IS VOTING FOR CONSERVATIVE JACQUES CHIRAC TO STOP FAR-RIGHT LEADER JEAN-MARIE LE PEN BECOMING PRESIDENT
  • Date: 5th May 2002
  • Summary: (U5)VILLEMAGNE, FRANCE (MAY 5, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV OF ROAD LEADING TO THE VILLAGE OF VILLEMAGNE 0.03 2. SLV TABLES IN FRONT OF TOWN HALL 0.08 3. LVEXTERIOR OF TOWN HALL 0.11 4. SV MAN ENTERING POLLING BOOTH 0.18 5. SV MAN CASTING HIS VOTE 0.22 6. SV MAN IN PROTECTIVE SUIT DISENFECTING VOTER, SPRAYING HIS FEET AND HEAD 0.39 7. MCU (French) VOTER HENRI LASSALVY SAYING: "I'm not right wing, but I still came to vote, because it's my duty. [I went through the spray] because the right vote doesn't suit me, as simple as that." 0.53 8. SV VOTERS CARRYING YELLOW BADGES, TALKING IN FRONT OF TOWN HALL 0.56 9. CU ON BADGE SAYING: "OF AUSTRALOPITHECUS DESCENDANT" 0.59 10. ZOOM OUT FROM BADGE READING" ITALIAN, GERMAN, FRENCH" TO WOMAN 1.04 11. SLV INTERIOR POLLING STATION WITH VILLEMAGNE'S MAYOR ALAIN BAUDA IN FRONT OF BALLOT BOX 1.05 12. MCU (English) BAUDA SAYING: "(They) will vote Chirac against Mr Le Pen, but they are not very happy with their vote, because they think Mr Chirac - if he had not been re-elected as president of the republic - would have had many problems with the justice. So, that is why I think it's not very clean." 1.29 13. SV MAN IN PROTECTIVE OUTFIT SPRAYING WOMAN VOTER WHO OPENS HER COAT SAYING: 'It gets everywhere' AND WEARING BLACK BECAUSE SHE SAYS SHE IS IN MOURNING 1.43 14. MCU (French) WOMAN VOTER SAYING: "I was obliged to block Le Pen and it was terribly hard for me to cast a ballot for Chirac, very, very difficult." 1.51 15. CU SPRAYING GEAR 1.53 16. LV VILLAGE TOWN HALL 1.58 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 20th May 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VILLEMAGNE, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVAEMCMT3TNQ293PXRFUWWGZ77YG
  • Story Text: The French left is voting for conservative Jacques
    Chirac to stop far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen becoming
    president. But not everyone is happy about it. And a Socialist
    village mayor has offered full disinfection after the vote.



    The overwhelmingly left-wing voters in the southern
    French town of Villemagne were given the choice to disinfect
    themselves after casting their ballot to show their
    frustration at having to vote for centre-right incumbent
    President Jacques Chirac in elections on Sunday (May 5).

    Alain Bauda, a Socialist, like "nearly 80 per cent" of the
    town's 220 inhabitants, made the disinfection booth available
    during the election as a funny idea aimed at helping leftist
    voters live with the idea of casting a vote for the right.

    A tub of disinfectant was in place outside the polling
    station.The display of defiance was in line with a campaign by
    left-wing voters across France who are angry at having no
    representative in the election, but who feel forced to vote
    for Chirac just to keep the score of his far-right challenger,
    Jean-Marie Le Pen, low.

    Organisers of the campaign had second thoughts about the
    idea of handing out nose pegs and gloves after the
    Constitutional Council, France's highest court, ruled that the
    wearing either of those could violate laws against making
    ostentatious political statements inside polling stations.

    Anybody found guilty of undermining the polls could be liable
    to a 15,000 euro (13,000 dollar) fine or a year in prison, it
    said.

    Bauda told Reuters Television he was aware of the risks,
    but that people had a right to make peace with their
    consciences.

    "About three quarters of the people in this village voted
    for other candidates than Mr Chirac and Mr Le Pen, so they are
    a bit disappointed about the choice they had to do. They
    probably will vote Chirac against Mr Le Pen, but they are not
    very happy with their vote because they think Mr Chirac, if he
    had not been re-elected as president of the republic, would
    have had many problems with the justice. So, that is why I
    think it's not very clean", he said.

    He added that, as the official supervisor of voting in his
    town, he would not object to anyone voting with gloves and
    that any objectors were welcome to ask that the person's vote
    be declared null and void.


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