She is a physical education teacher and she covers herself with a rigorous veil. She came from a very young town near Tangier (Morocco) and she speaks perfect French. The interlocutor, who prefers not to give her name, has voted for the left-wing coalition (Nupes), led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, because “he helps the less wealthy population”.
– Do you trust that you will keep your promises, such as raising the minimum wage to 1,500 euros or retirement at 60?
I admit that I have no confidence in politicians. Yes, it promises a lot, but they are dreams.
–And despite everything you voted for it?
–Yes, because he is the only one who listens to people like us.
We are in La Courneuve, a municipality of 45,000 inhabitants, north of Paris, just 12 kilometers from Notre Dame Cathedral. It is a historical bastion of the left. Its mayor, the communist Gilles Poux, has been in office for 26 years. In places like La Courneuve, with a high density of population of immigrant origin and Muslim creed, those of Mélenchon receive massive support. He himself, in the first round of the presidential elections, touched 64% of the votes. But in the second round Macron achieved 77%, thanks to the votes given to stop the far-right Marine Le Pen. The French electoral system produces these distortions.
At noon on this election day the streets are pretty deserted. Some children in traditional Islamic clothing have left the Koranic school in the mosque and are returning home laughing and playing.
The Paul Langevin Nursery School, home to an electoral college, faces a street named after a great Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwich. Voter turnout is low.
Abdelhamid and his daughter Omayma have opted for Mélenchon despite their skepticism. “Voting is like playing dice, but he is more reasonable than the others, it’s worth trying something new,” says the 55-year-old father of Moroccan origin, a construction worker. One of his reasons is the promise of retirement at age 60. “In jobs like mine, which are very physical, retiring at 65 is tough,” he adds. The daughter, 21 years old and in professional training, thinks that a cohabitation between Macron and Mélenchon “would be good for democracy, there would be more balance.” “If he were a prime minister of the same party, he would be close to a dictatorship,” she warns.
Father and daughter weigh their words when asked if Mélenchon is more favorable to the Muslims, as his rivals reproach him. They don’t get wet. They recognize that the current situation displeases them. “Mosques have been closed,” says Omayma. We suffer discrimination. He feels “. “Accusing Muslims of extremism is an excuse to cover up other social problems that are not resolved and to divide the population,” Abdelhamid maintains.
Kadeejah and Mariam, sisters of Senegalese origin, have also voted for the leftist coalition but they are realistic. “I am aware that she cannot deliver on everything she promises, but it would be nice if things started to change,” says Mariam, who works as a nurse. “The minimum wage of 1,500 euros is important,” Kadeejah adds. These are tough times.”
Éric Morisse, councilor and president of the electoral table, highlights the “terrible” impact of the pandemic on the city. Many have lost their low-paying jobs and are still highly precarious. “There have never been so many people in soup kitchens,” he notes.
Among the chorus of voices in favor of Mélenchon an exception arises. Didier, a 63-year-old retiree of Central African origin, has voted for Los Republicanos (LR, right). “I vote for those who have a realistic program and know what they are talking about,” he argues. Mélenchon says that he is going to give this or that, but he never explains where he will get the money. Here in those neighborhoods the left has always done clientelism. They are interested in people continuing in this situation.”
