Elections in France

Meta Description: It is quite interesting to know about elections in France and how the political system is being run in France. 

This blog will answer questions pertaining to elections in France, such as how often elections are in France. 

Does France have elections?

Yes, France has elections. 

Different elections are conducted for candidates aspiring to hold a particular post, such as the office of the president. 

Types of Elections in France

In France, there are three types of elections: general, local, and by referendum. 

General elections are held every five years, local elections are held every three years, and referendums are held every five years. 

The three types of elections are: 

– General: A general election is held to elect the entire body of representatives to the government.

– Local: A local election is held to elect members of local councils.

– By referendum: A referendum is held to decide whether or not to change the Constitution.

Elections 2022 France dates

The most recent French election was held on the 10th of April, 2022, and also on the 24th of April, 2022.

When are the local Elections in France?

The last local elections in France were held on the 20th of June 2021 and the 27th of June 2021.

How is a president elected in France?

Direct voting is the only method used to choose who will serve as President of France.

The President of France serves as both the Head of State and the Chief Commander of the French Armed Forces. It is only possible for a president to be re-elected once throughout their whole five-year tenure in office.

The candidate who gets the highest votes overall wins the presidency. If none of the candidates gets the highest votes, the second round of voting will be held between the top two candidates.

The National Assembly must vote in favor of a candidate with a two-thirds majority in order to elect the president.

How often are French presidential elections?

Formerly, French presidential elections were conducted every seven years, but now, elections are conducted once every five years. 

The maximum terms a particular candidate can run is two terms. These elections are conducted mainly on Sundays. Since 1965, the president has been chosen by a majority of the direct public voting.

 

Results of Regional Elections in France

The regional elections in France are conducted in direct democratic elections. The election is conducted in two stages, with a majority credit awarded in the second round. 

Male and female candidates must be alternated on the lists from top to bottom, ensuring that there is a gender balance.

Some of the results of the recent regional elections (2021) in France are given in a tabular form below:

Regional Elections in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Laurent Wauquiez                 751,375          (43.85%)         960,785           (55.20%) – Winner

Fabienne Grebert:                   248,017           (14.47%)

Najat Vallaud-Belkacem         195,727               (11.42%)              585,039           (33.61%)

Cécile Cukierman                    95,434                  (5.57%)

Andréa Kotarac                       211,178                (12.32%)              194,789           (11.19%)

Bruno Bonnell                         168,292                (9.82%)

Chantal Gomez                        26,742             (1.56%)

Shella Gill                                11,198                  (0.65%)

Farid Omeir                             5,684               (0.33%)

Regional Elections in Bourgogne-Franche-Comte

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Marie-Guite Dufay                 173,393           (26.52%)         289,926           (42.20%)    – WINNER

Stéphanie Modde                   67,618             (10.34%)          166,446           (24.23%)

Gilles Platret:                          137,596           (21.04%)         163,363           (23.78%)

Julien Odoul:                           151,625           (23.19%)          67,220            (9.79%)

Denis Thuriot:                         76,457             (11.69%)           

Bastien Faudot:                       29,424             (4.50%)                                               

Claire Rocher:                         17,829             (2.73%)                                               

Regional elections in Brittany

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Loïg Chesnais-Girard:             178,362           (20.95%)          260,918           29.84      WINNER

Daniel Cueff:                          55,514             (6.52%)

Isabelle Le Callennec:              138,541           (16.28%)          192,127           21.98

Claire Desmares-Poirrier:       126,313           (14.84%)          176,767           20.22  

Thierry Burlot                         132,220           (15.53%)         128,915           14.75

Gilles Pennelle:                       121,452            (14.27%)         115,541           13.22

Pierre-Yves Cadalen:               47,444             (5.57%)                                               

Valérie Hamon:                       19,208             (2.26%)                                               

Joannic Martin:                       13,192             (1.55%)                                               

David Cabas:                           11,919             (1.40%)                                               

Christophe Daviet:                  4,198               (0.49%)                                               

Yves Chauvel:                          1,844               (0.22%)                                               

Kamel Elahiar:                        1,030               (0.12%)

Regional elections in Centre-Val de Loire

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

François Bonneau                  141,136           24.81%            225,697           39.15% – WINNER

Charles Fournier                     61,690             10.85%

Nicolas Forissier                      107,031           18.82%            130,306           22.61%           

Aleksandar Nikolić                  126,489           22.24%            128,183           22.24%           

Marc Fesneau                         94,712             16.65%            92,259             16.00%           

Jérémy Clément                      23,171             4.07%                                     

Farida Megdoud                      14,555             2.56%

Regional elections in Corsica

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Gilles Simeoni                        39,247             29.19%            55,548             40.64% – WINNER     

Laurent Marcangeli                33,432             24.86%            43,769             32.02%           

Jean-Christophe Angelini        17,772             13.22%            20,604             15.07%

Jean-Guy Talamoni                 9,280               6.90%

Paul-Félix Benedetti                11,282             8.39%             16,762             12.26%           

Jean-Charles Orsucci             7,957               5.92%                                     

François Filoni                         5,378               4.00%                                     

Agnès Simonpietri                   5,039               3.75%                                     

Michel Stefani                         4,279               3.18%                                     

Jean-Antoine Giacomi             791                  0.59%

Regional elections in the Grand Est

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Jean Rottner                           335,954           31.15%            445,185           40.30% – WINNER

Laurent Jacobelli                     227,775           21.12%            290,556           26.30%           

Éliane Romani                         157,461           14.60%            234,450           21.22%           

Brigitte Klinkert                       116,120           10.77%            134,414           12.17%

Aurélie Filippetti                     93,168             8.64%                                     

Florian Philippot                      74,980             6.95%                                     

Martin Meyer                         39,568             3.67%                                     

Louise Fève                             28,091             2.60%                                     

Adil Tyane                               5,262               0.49%

Regional elections in Guadeloupe

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Ary Chalus                              45,110             49.31%            77,475             72.43% WINNER

Josette Borel-Lincertin            15,900             17.38%            29,485             27.57%           

Ronald Selbonne                     8,591               9.39%                                     

Max Mathiasin                        5,090               5.56%                                     

Sonia Petro                              3,370               3.68%                                     

Maxette Pirbakas-Grisoni       3,131               3.42%                                     

Éric Coriolan                            2,638               2.88%                                     

Jean-Marie Nomertin              2,443               2.67%                                     

Alain Plaisir                             2,324               2.54%                                     

Christelle Nanor                      1,287               1.41%                                     

Willy William                           1,069               1.17%                                     

Tony Delannay                        532                  0.58%

Regional Elections in French Guiana

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Gabriel Serville                       9,510               27.68%            25,342             54.83% WINNER

Jean-Paul Fereira                    8,020               23.34%

Jessi Americain                       1,811               5.27%

Rodolphe Alexandre               15,020             43.71%            20,879             45.17%

Regional elections in the Hauts-de-France

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Xavier Bertrand                      551,068           41.42%            708,518           52.37% WINNER

Sébastien Chenu                     324,260           24.37%            346,918           25.64%           

Karima Delli                            252,404           18.97%            297,395           21.98%           

Laurent Pietraszewski             121,466           9.13%                                     

Éric Pecqueur                         47,325             3.56%                                     

José Évrard                              27,205             2.04%                                     

Audric Alexandre                    6,700               0.50%

Regional elections in Île-de-France

Name                                     First Round Result                  Second Round Result

Valérie Pécresse                     785,576           36.19%            1,076,821        45.92% WINNER        

Julien Bayou                            282,502           13.01%            789,666           33.67%           

Audrey Pulvar                         240,839           11.10%

Clémentine Autain                  222,456           10.25%

Jordan Bardella                       285,115           13.14%            253,001           10.79%           

Laurent Saint-Martin              256,402           11.81%            225,482           9.62%

Victor Pailhac                          38,831             1.79%                                     

Nathalie Arthaud                    31,956             1.47%                                     

Éric Berlingen                         12,732             0.59%                                     

Lionel Brot                               11,582             0.49%                                     

Fabiola Conti                           3,629               0.17%

Elections in France 2022 polls

Emmanuel Macron had the highest votes in the first round of the election with votes of 27.9%, followed by Le Pen with votes of 23.2%, Melenchon with votes of 22%, Eric Zemmour with votes of 7.1%, Valerie Pecresse with votes of 4.8%, and then Anne Hidalgo with votes of 1.8%.

Emmanuel Macron won the second round with votes of 58.5%, while Le Pen had votes of 41.5%. 

Is voting mandatory in France?

In France, voting is not mandatory, but there are a number of options for citizens to vote, including by postal vote, in person at the local polling stations, or by casting a ballot online.

Conclusion

Do you know that France is a country popularly known for conducting two rounds of election? 

This article has provided all necessary details as regards Elections in France, such as the types of elections, results of regional elections, and so on.