After Jérôme Rivière and Patrick Allemand, it’s now the turn of Jean Christophe Picard, departmental spokesperson of the radical left party, to share his views on the voting rights of foreigners and on Nicolas Sarkozy’s statement on this subject.
Nicolas Sarkozy has stated that he is considering granting voting rights to foreigners residing in France for at least ten years in the next municipal elections. What do you think about this?
The radical leftists are resolutely in favor of the proposal to grant voting rights to foreign residents for local elections.
Indeed, foreign residents participate in the life of the municipality. They live, work, and pay taxes there. They often come from countries with close historical links to France, such as the countries of the Maghreb and Africa. Their parents or grandparents sometimes served in the French army and fought for the defense of France during World War II. Their children are often born in France.
Excluding them from municipal elections can legitimately be a negative experience for foreign residents. It can even be a factor leading to communal withdrawal, contrary to the concept of a republican state. The exercise of voting rights is indeed an essential factor in integration.
Several countries understand this and grant voting rights to foreigners residing in their territory for a certain period: Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal.
For its part, France has granted the right to vote and stand for election to residents from the European Union. However, a Moroccan or Senegalese resident, from countries tied to France by a shared history, is as much entitled to participate in municipal elections as an Irish or Finnish person, whose connections to our country are less strong. Finally, it would conform to the principle of equality for all foreign residents to have the same civil rights in France, whether or not they are nationals of a European Union state.
That’s why, on December 21, 1999, eleven PRG deputies submitted a constitutional law proposal stating: “Subject to reciprocity, the right to vote and stand for municipal elections may be granted to foreign residents legally established in France for over five years. The conditions for exercising this right are the same as those provided in Article 88-3 for foreign residents who are citizens of the European Union.”
The voting right promised by the Left and the Greens is coming from the Right. What are the reasons for this, in your view?
The continual failure to fulfill this electoral promise, first made by François Mitterrand in 1981, is a permanent affront to foreign residents… and to French voters! The Left probably lacked courage. The Right — which has always opposed it — certainly has audacity! It seems that today, Nicolas Sarkozy is trying by all means to distinguish himself from his rival, Dominique de Villepin. However, whatever his motivations, this proposal is a step in the right direction.
Could this law have an impact on the upcoming municipal elections in Nice?
Historically, extending the right to vote (to women, then to young people aged 18) did not have a significant impact on the results. I believe the same will be true for this reform.
And finally, what do you think about the fact that this proposal does not concern legislative elections?
It is logical that the rights granted to foreign residents be strictly the same as those granted to residents of the European Union. It seems normal to me, therefore, not to extend this proposal to legislative elections.
