The Socialist parliamentarians want to change the electoral law in order to avoid in the future the misadventure suffered by a Parisian PS deputy, whose election was invalidated because of the presence in the first round of a “cheater” who had usurped the LREM logo, they announced on Tuesday. The deputies and senators will table a bill in each of the two assemblies to “specify the mentions authorized on a ballot paper and strengthen the competences of the propaganda commissions”.
Avoid the usurpation of a political label by a candidate
Concretely, it is a question of avoiding the usurpation of a political label by a candidate and of preventing the deposit of non-compliant ballots in the voting rooms. “It is a question of making the controls a priori and not a posteriori”, summed up the leader of the PS deputies Valérie Rabault, during a press conference. This reform of the electoral law, which has little chance of being examined between now and the end of the parliamentary work scheduled for the end of February, before the legislative elections in June, should prevent a repetition of the scenario which led to the invalidation of the election of the socialist Lamia El Araaje by the Constitutional Council in the 15th district of Paris (north-east).
The Elders on Friday canceled his election dating from June 2021 due to “fraudulent maneuvers” by Jean-Damien de Sinzogan, who had renamed himself “Jean de Bourbon” and had displayed the support of La République en Marche when he did not did not benefit from the nomination of the presidential party. Seized of an appeal, the Constitutional Council considered that “the maneuver committed by Jean-Damien de Sinzogan” was “of a nature to alter the sincerity of the ballot”, “taking into account the 449 votes he obtained and the low gap of 266 votes” having separated François-Marie Didier, LR candidate who came third in the first round, from Danielle Simonnet (LFI), who came second and qualified for the second round with Lamia El Araaje.
The case law of the Constitutional Council, “a manual for cranks”
“It is clear that this jurisprudence of the Constitutional Council constitutes a manual for the cranks”, lamented Virginie Rabault. Lamia El Araaje “finds himself the victim of a gentleman who decided to have fun with electoral law”, continued the MP for Tarn-et-Garonne. “We must be able to change the law before the legislative elections,” insisted Patrick Kanner, bosses of the PS senators.
“I hope that the majority can put this bill on the agenda as soon as possible,” added the first secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure. The socialist group will question the government on this subject on Tuesday during the session of questions to the government.