Record Participation in French Legislative Elections
The recent legislative elections in France have seen an unprecedented level of participation, both domestically and internationally. According to the Ministry of the Interior, a total of 3.3 million proxies were established by Friday, a figure that is 3.6 times higher than the 2022 legislative elections. Of these, 2.5 million proxies remain active for the second round. During the first round, 2.6 million proxies were recorded, already four times more than in the previous elections. The Ministry also noted that the dematerialization rate of these proxies stands at 75%. On the days leading up to the second round, over 140,000 proxies were established daily.
French citizens abroad have also shown significant engagement. France Consulaire reported a record 460,000 voters casting their ballots online for the second round. Participation in the first round reached 66.71% across France, a notable increase from the less than 50% turnout in 2022. This surge in voter turnout is particularly remarkable given the sudden and unexpected nature of the electoral campaign following the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Social Media Buzz and Political Mobilization
The dissolution of the National Assembly by President Emmanuel Macron on June 9 has not only spurred voter turnout but also ignited a flurry of activity on social media. A study by web monitoring agency Visibrain revealed that 23.4 million messages related to the legislative elections have been posted online since the announcement. The volume of messages peaked during the first round of elections, accounting for 18% of the total messages.
The elections have led to the formation of three major political blocs: the National Rally, the New Popular Front, and the majority coalition Ensemble. The National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella, has been particularly prominent on social media, generating 9.7 million messages since June 9. Left-wing activists have also garnered attention for the New Popular Front, especially on platforms like TikTok. However, the National Rally regained dominance in the social media discourse by July 1.
Visibrain's analysis also highlighted the use of astroturfing techniques, where activists create fake accounts to simulate spontaneous support for their parties. Despite the high volume of messages, a significant portion of the activity is not organic, according to social data analyst Florent Lefebvre.
