When asked who is the mayor of Aubervilliers, Yasmina, an Algerian who has lived in the town for 40 years, smiles, a little embarrassed. “Wait, I have it on the tip of my tongue, she’s a woman …” You have to whisper her name Meriem Derkaoui. ” Oh yes it’s true ! she says laughing. You know, I don’t have the right to vote, but if I could vote I would, my children have the right to vote. I could apply for French nationality, but it’s complicated … “
Like her, 24,209 people over the age of 15 * have (or will not) have the right to vote in Aubervilliers, because they do not have French nationality. Almost a third of the local population. On March 15 and 22, they will therefore not be able to decide on the choice of their future mayor.
Unanimous left
Conversely, 3,607 people over the age of 15 from the European Union can (or will be able) to go to the polls in the municipality, as authorized there since 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty giving Europeans the right to vote for Europeans. local polls.
In Seine-Saint-Denis, where 241,503 non-EU foreigners over the age of 15 live, the question of their right to vote in local elections finds particular resonance. Its extension seems to be unanimous on the left, like Meriem Derkaoui, the PCF mayor of Aubervilliers, or the socialist Olivier Klein, the councilor of Clichy-sous-Bois.
An advisory council for foreign citizens in Saint-Denis
As a symbol, the communist city of Saint-Denis – which has 23,416 foreigners over the age of 15 – has even created a consultative council for foreign citizens, on which 32 people sit.
On the right, Bruno Beschizza, the mayor (LR) of Aulnay-sous-Bois opposes it. “In France, we have a tradition which closely links the right to vote to nationality,” he recalls. However, the French, them, would support it at 62%, according to a poll published at the end of January by Harris Interactive for “The Letter of citizenship”.
“These elections can have a strong impact on their daily lives”
“Many foreigners are frustrated because they feel left out of society. The stake is all the more important in the municipal elections, because this ballot can have a strong impact on their daily life, on the questions of education for example, Their children being schooled in their commune “, points Ameziane Azzedine, Franco-Algerian and member of the Franco-Algerian cultural center of Seine-Saint-Denis.
On the political level, the subject appears of Arlesian. Promised by François Mitterrand in 1981, then by François Hollande in 2012, the measure has never been implemented. And no longer appears on the agenda. Asked about the subject in February 2019 during a debate on the suburbs, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, said that the “battle” in the districts should rather focus on the fight against abstention and in support for foreigners wishing to obtain French nationality.
Citizen votes
Except that “when you grow up in a house where no one has their voter card, voting may not seem important at 18,” says Meriem Derkaoui, whose city – like many municipalities in the department – has rates very high abstention rates.
If they cannot vote, foreigners still end up going to the polls. In May 2019, four cities – Bagnolet, Bondy, Montreuil and Les Lilas – organized a citizen vote on water management open to over 16 year olds of all nationalities. But the ballot – technical – only attracted 4,700 residents. These citizen votes are also part of the programs of many candidates for the next municipal elections.
