In Blanc-Mesnil, where she has been elected for nineteen years on a communist list, Marie-George Buffet, also a member of the constituency, has experienced the fall. In 2014, after 80 years of PCF management, the city fell into the hands of the right.
Like Bobigny and Saint-Ouen the same year, or Drancy in 2001. A right which is gradually eroding the electorate of Seine-Saint-Denis, and of the suburbs in general. But for Marie-George Buffet, the extreme right seems a little more distant. For the moment…
Are the ideas of the RN gaining ground in Seine-Saint-Denis and in the suburbs in general?
Marie-George Buffet. They are already there! Look at the scores they made in the Europeans, whatever may be said about the difference between a local and a national ballot. The mayonnaise “takes” because the RN holds a social discourse, which echoes the anger underway throughout the country, particularly strong and old in abandoned neighborhoods. It must also be said: the fact that 93 is a world territory – which is its wealth – however arouses the exasperation among some, with hints of xenophobia. It is quite plausible that they will win seats next March.
Can we have an RN mayor next March in the 93?
From a few elected officials to a city, there is a chasm: Municipalities, this is embodied, however, I do not believe that the Le Pen party has a real local figure in 93, unlike in the south of France, or in the north. And then, I think that the current right can stand in the way, in the sense that it is shameless, plays on the themes of the extreme right without really assuming it. Look at Blanc-Mesnil: the chief of staff of the mayor Les Républicains, who is also a departmental adviser, went to speak at the Convention of the right of Marion Le Pen last September, on the subject of… immigration.
Why was there a shift of the PCF, a long majority party in the popular territories, to the hard right?
