The left-wing electorate weighed heavily during the municipal elections in the City of Geneva. Not content with placing the Socialist and Green candidates in the first four places, he helped to designate the one who will accompany them to the Palais Eynard from June 1, by voting substantially in favor of the PDC Marie Barbey-Chappuis in the second round.
This is shown in the analysis of the detailed results. Whereas in the first round, Marie Barbey-Chappuis had only been added 370 times to the four-way ticket presented by the left, it was added more than 2000 times on April 5. The name of Simon Brandt, his opponent for the fifth seat on the Administrative Council, has been “checked” 450 times (+200 votes compared to the first round).
Smooth it out
Distanced by 500 votes on the evening of March 15, Marie Barbey-Chappuis made up for lost time, by obtaining in the end 1500 more than the municipal councilor PLR. “Simon Brandt left with an advantage due to the strength of his party in the City (editor’s note: 16% against 8.7% for the PDC), but Marie Barbey-Chappuis managed to get votes on a massive scale from the left, “observes Pascal Sciarini, political scientist at the University of Geneva.
“It would have taken a miracle for the right to manage to take a seat on the left, given the weakness of the PLR and the PDC”
Pascal Sciarini, Political scientist at the University of Geneva
The professor in the Department of Political Science puts forward several explanations. “Even if Madame Barbey-Chappuis is a center-right politician, she was able to round the corners during the campaign. Simon Brandt, meanwhile, remained straight in his boots. He highlighted his desire to carry out a general audit of the administration. Its slogan advocated “Duty, first”. He embodied the typical PLR candidate, which is paradoxical in view of his atypical profile and his social fiber, ”he notes.
“Women” effect
However, in a majority election, it is essential to first fill up in your own camp, then to be able to seek votes beyond. In the City of Geneva, it is above all the left voter that must be seduced. The socio-economic fabric is favorable to him. In 2015, Guillaume Barazzone was brilliantly re-elected, winning a large number of votes from the Alternative.
This year, several leftist figures, like the Socialist mayor, Sandrine Salerno, called to vote in favor of the PDC, considered “more collegial”, during the inter-turn. “This played a role, just as there was undoubtedly a” women “effect, because they will now be in the majority in the Executive,” notes Pascal Sciarini. In his view, it was also because none of the Socialist and Greens candidates seemed threatened after the first round that left-wing voters could “in good conscience” afford to add a fifth cross.
Alliance against nature
Would the two candidates have done better if they had been united under the banner of the Entente? The number of ballots including their two names was just over 5,000 for the first round and 6,550 for the second. “The Entente did not work too badly, says Pascal Sciarini. But even without internal divisions, it would have taken a miracle for it to manage to take a seat on the left, given the current weakness of the PLR and the PDC in the face of the Green wave. It was observed in last year’s federal election. This was confirmed during the municipal elections. “
Failing to make an alliance with Marie Barbey-Chappuis, Simon Brandt recorded supporters from other right-wing parties. The three remaining UDC and MCG candidates also called to vote for the PLR. Simon Brandt does not seem to have benefited from it. Only 565 voters checked his name joined to those of Christo Ivanov, Luc Barthassat and Daniel Sormanni. It’s less than in the first round.
For Pascal Sciarini, it is difficult to say whether a true PLR-UDC-MCG alliance would have done better. “Part of the PLR electorate would probably not have recognized it. In Geneva, an alliance between the moderate right and the populist right is unnatural if we look at the programmatic content of the parties, “deciphers the specialist.
Maria Pérez very added
Last lesson to the left of the left. The excellent score obtained by Maria Pérez is partly explained by the support she was able to garner from socialist and Green voters. The Labor Party councilor was the most added to the four-way ticket (2800 votes, +700 compared to the first round). A carryover of votes which was made to the detriment of Pierre Bayenet (2550 votes, –200), which she preceded. The Ensemble candidate on the Left is the only one to have lost votes between the two rounds.
Overall, Pascal Sciarini notes that the results of the second round are in line with those of the first, despite the low turnout and the special circumstances in which the campaign took place.
Created: 19.04.2020, 20h49
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