It is a law which recently passed its tenth candle, but which may have had its day. The non-cumulation of mandates promulgated during the five-year term of François Hollande, that is to say the ban on deputies and senators also occupying a local executive function such as that of mayor, is no longer to the taste of the French . This is what emerges from our CSA survey for Europe 1, CNews and “Le Journal du Dimanche”*: 57% of those questioned believe that this ban should be reversed.
A Paris-Province divide
An idea which is accepted by a majority of left-wing sympathizers (55% against 44%), regardless of sensitivity. Thus, 56% of voters in France Insoumise are in favor of it, while 64% of the Greens think that we should return to the possibility of accumulation. PS supporters are the most hesitant about this idea, with a narrow majority at 51%. On the right, the majority is clearer with 65% against 35%. The Republicans are the least attracted by this idea with 60% in favor, while supporters of the National Rally are 68%. Finally, only majority voters do not follow the trend, with only 46% of favorable opinion.
On this question of non-cumulation of mandates, the division is therefore not based on political opinions, but according to the place of residence of the respondents and the number of inhabitants. Thus, if 51% of Ile-de-France residents are against a return to accumulation, 59% of French people in the provinces think the opposite. More specifically, respondents who live in a rural municipality are 61% in favor, while within the Paris metropolitan area (Paris and its inner suburbs), opinions are divided at 50%-50%.
Only 18-24 year olds are against
In detail, respondents who live in a municipality between 2,000 and 19,999 inhabitants want an end to non-cumulation at 53%. Between 20,000 and 99,999, they are 62% and in towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants, they are 57%. Île-de-France is therefore an exception within a France which is united in majority behind a return to the accumulation of mandates.
And the observation is similar in terms of the sex and age of the respondents since those under 35 are 52% wanting a step back, those aged 50 and over are 60% and those aged 65 and over are even 62%. Only 18-24 year olds are not keen on this idea, since 46% are for and 52% are against.
* Self-administered online panel questionnaire carried out on March 5 and 6, 2024. Nationally representative sample of 1,013 people aged 18 and over Quota method based on the criteria of sex, age and profession of the respondent after stratification by region and category of agglomeration. To ensure the representativeness of the results, the data were adjusted for the variables of sex, age, profession, region and urban category.