It is a government text, tabled on Tuesday February 16 in secret in the Senate, who is starting to talk about him and which will certainly make a lot of noise over the next few hours …
Thursday, February 18, the upper house will examine a draft organic law relating to the election of the President of the Republic. A text, already adopted at first reading in the Assembly, of a technical nature, which should not warm the hemicycle … originally.
Except that the executive has just lit a fuse of discord that no parliamentarian expected. By amendment, the government intends to allow advance voting to the presidential election from 2022. This is a first in France.
Via a voting machine
This project, which began to circulate on social networks, indicates that voters, at their request, will be able to cast their votes in advance, the week before the poll, in one of the offices open for this purpose, via a voting machine.
A surprising amendment, while a similar proposal for advance polls – issued by the unregistered deputy for Maine-et-Loire Matthieu Orphelin – had been rejected last week by the executive for the regional and departmental elections in June. An astonishing text also, while a moratorium is in force on voting machines …
“I take this as a tribute, smiles Matthieu Orphelin. It is true that the advance poll won five points of participation in the presidential election in Portugal in January, and fifteen in Canada. Why not in France? On the other hand, I am opposed to the use of voting machines. “
“Maneuver”
Why has the government embarked on such a last minute adventure? For fear of a very strong abstention in the presidential ballot? For fear of a continuation of the coronavirus epidemic in 2022?
Among parliamentarians, the measure goes badly. “We do not table such an amendment two days before its consideration in the Senate, without informing the Assembly”, notes Philippe Latombe, centrist deputy for Vendée. The LREM deputy Pacôme Rupin believes, “That changes in voting methods, if they are desirable – although not always -, must be addressed in a dedicated text, concerning all elections. For us, the fairness of the ballot is a priority. “
On Twitter, Senator LR from Vendée, Bruno Retailleau, already announces that the Senate will oppose “To any maneuver distorting this essential meeting of our democracy”. Thursday, the Luxembourg Palace should be in turmoil.
– .
