‘Neither Macron nor Le Pen’ – Melenchon voters in Parisian suburb choose ‘blank vote’

As France gears up to vote for either pro-European Union, centrist President Emmanuel Macron or far-right eurosceptic Marine Le Pen in a decisive presidential election run-off on Sunday (April 24), some voters are ditching both candidates and opting for a blank vote.

Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon was the most popular candidate among first-round voters in Aubervilliers, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris. He received nearly 60% of the votes on April 10, while more than 35% of voters abstained.

Incumbent president Macron received around 16% of votes while Le Pen took just over nine percent.

“In the first round, I voted for Melenchon because he had ideas that were relevant to me. And now in the second round, we don’t have a choice. It’s between the worst and the less worse said market vendor Imed Halloumi.

“However, Halloumi said he would be going to the voting booths regardless to submit a blank vote, as an act of “protest” and a sign of his dissatisfaction with both Macron and Le Pen.

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Melenchon’s party gave no voting instructions for the French presidential runoff after its internal consultations showed most people would abstain or vote blank on April 24, adding to the uncertainty over the outcome.

Voters voiced their dissatisfaction with Macron, with retired nurse Caroline Coste saying he had “damaged the people too much, while catering agent Marianne Fofana, who said Melenchon had “inspired” her, said Macron had “made a lot of promises that he didn’t keep, especially with regard to the suburbs.”

Opinion polls in recent days gave Macron a solid and slightly growing lead as analysts said Le Pen – despite her efforts to soften her image and tone down some of her National Rally party’s policies – remained unpalatable for many.

With polls showing neither candidate able to count on enough committed supporters, much will depend on a cohort of voters who are weighing up anxiety about the implications of a far-right presidency against anger at Macron’s record since his 2017 election.