The most significant fact of the first round of the local elections in France was the very high level of abstention (42.4 percent). The politicians who congratu

The most significant fact of the first round of the local elections in France was the very high level of abstention (42.4 percent). The politicians who congratulate themselves on an ‘increase in turnout’ compared to the March 2020 election ‘forget’ to mention that the latter was held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In reality, for several decades we have been witnessing a systematic rise in abstention rates: 21.6 percent in 1983, 30.6 percent in 1995, 36.4 percent in 2014 and 42.4 percent this time around.

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