The radical left party La France Insoumise's best bet for the European elections was that working-class neighborhoods would vote more. And specifically, for LFI and its lead candidate Manon Aubry. Led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, LFI was widely criticized for the strategy it used to achieve this goal: Trying to win over Parisian suburbs and citizens of the Muslim faith by placing the Palestinian cause at the heart of the campaign.
Was the first bet won? Did abstention fall? It's a mixed bag for LFI. While it is difficult to estimate the overall turnout for all these territories, an analysis of results in certain departments or emblematic towns helps to answer this question.
In Seine-Saint-Denis, a northeastern Paris suburb, for example, turnout was around 43%, a 4-point increase on the 2019 European elections. In this area, not usually very mobilized, and even less so for this type of election, the increase is seen as a strong signal. "We don't realize it, but in principle, neighborhoods don't vote in European elections, even less than in other elections, so yes, on that point, it's an incredible success," said Youcef Brakni, a member of the Truth and Justice for Adama committee, named after Adama Traoré, the young man who died in police custody in 2016 after being arrested.
In La Courneuve, a part of the Seine-Saint-Denis department, 36.3 % of registered voters turned out at the polls, up more than 4 points on 2019. "This shows that local residents also have aspirations and are more interested in politics than we think when we take the trouble to go and see them," said Aly Diouara, president of the citizen-political movement La Seine-Saint-Denis au cœur (Seine-Saint-Denis at the heart), who just won the Nouveau Front Populaire nomination in the 5th constituency of Seine-Saint-Denis to represent the left-wing alliance.
"There's a whole ecosystem of young people who are becoming politicized and who intend to give themselves the power to act," said Inès Seddiki, 33, founder of Ghett'up, an association that aims to enable young people from the neighborhoods to take their place in society. "There was an unprecedented mobilization of neighborhoods during the European elections that wasn't sufficiently highlighted, but the momentum is there."
The proof, she argues, lies in the creation of the Front Populaire youth movement. The initiative was born in the heat of the moment, in the 48 hours following the announcement of the dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale, with the prospect of the far right, which came well ahead in the European elections, gaining a majority.
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