Displays, spots… What is changing at the start of the official campaign in France?
Two weeks before the vote, the official campaign for the European elections of June 9 opened on Monday for the 38 candidate lists, whose posters will be put up near the polling stations of the 36,000 French municipalities.
- Publication of professions of faith
The Ministry of the Interior has published on a specific site the professions of faith provided by most of the thirty-eight lists – a record number, four more than in 2019 – with the names of the 81 candidates for each, a total of 3,078 suitors.
These professions of faith will also be sent in the coming days to the 48 million voters. On their campaign leaflets, some parties highlight the photo of their head of list, such as Raphaël Glucksmann or François-Xavier Bellamy. In both cases, the PS and LR logos are very discreet.
On the other hand, others rely on the notoriety of the leader of their camp: Emmanuel Macron for the presidential camp or Jean-Luc Mélenchon ” with “ Manon Aubry at LFI. At the RN, Jordan Bardella shares the poster with Marine Le Pen on an equal footing. Rather than its head of list, Hélène Thouy, the animalist party put a photo of a cat.
- Cities facing the billboard puzzle
The inflation of lists is a headache for town halls, which have had to provide 38 billboards in front of polling stations. However, a circular authorizes them to split them into several parts or to use the walls of public buildings.
The billboard numbers were assigned following a draw. This is the totally unknown list For a sovereign humanity which thus benefits from panel number one. The RN list obtained panel 5, that of the majority on the 11th, that of the socialists on the 27th.
- Audiovisual media subject to “fairness” of candidates’ speaking time
Since April 15, television and radio stations have been required to respect a principle of fairness in the treatment of political forces.
Monitored by Arcom, the audiovisual regulator, this principle takes into account the “representativeness” lists, appreciated “according to the results obtained during the last general renewal of the European Parliament and the most recent elections”but also “opinion polls” and contribution to “the animation of the electoral debate”.
The official campaign maintains this rule, including for campaign spots. Those of the RN will thus be able to be broadcast for 1 hour 1 minute and 35 seconds. Small lists, like Lutte Ouvrière, will only be allowed 3 minutes and 9 seconds.
During this official campaign period, state services are in principle required to ” reserve “a tradition which notably forces ministers and prefects not to make communications, in particular announcements.