A new report came out in the wake of the French presidential election saying 1/3 of all French voters either abstained or spoiled their ballots. This has not occurred in nearly a half century.
A third of French voters declined to choose between centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s presidential election, either abstaining or spoiling their ballots — a record rate in nearly half a century.
According to official results with more than 80 percent of votes counted, the abstention rate stood at 24.52 percent — the highest since the presidential election in 1969.
“That would make a total of one French person out of three who decided not to choose between the two candidates. It’s really a lot for a presidential election,” Anne Jadot, political science professor at the University of Lorraine, told AFP.
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Casting a blank ballot — traditionally used by disgruntled French voters as a protest vote — usually increases in the second round.
But this year it went as far as to quadruple, thanks in part to an unprecedented situation of neither the two mainstream left-leaning or right-leaning parties making it to the run-off.
The circumstances of this year’s election were unique and troubling, but a 2022 return for Le Pen could make the populist and nationalist candidate a bigger winner than in this 2017 election.
LE PEN BACKED BY 44% OF YOUTH
MACRON SUPPORTED BY 80% OF 65+https://t.co/wOVXADBXEo— Westmonster (@WestmonsterUK) May 7, 2017
