60% of French people support the right to vote for foreign residents
The comments of Robert Injey (municipal and community councilor of the PCF):
“Eric Ciotti has just declared that the ‘right to vote of foreigners would be a fraud’. A stance that once again reflects the “hunt” for National Front voters by the UMP.
This “stance” calls for four remarks:
1: What is it about, first of all? The text defended by the left-wing majority in the Senate is clear: “The right to vote and eligibility in municipal elections may be granted to non-European Union foreign residents living in France. They cannot serve as mayor or deputy, nor participate in the designation of senatorial electors and the election of senators.”
2: This proposal is not particularly new, 16 countries in the European Union have already granted the right to vote in local elections to foreign residents.
3: It is a new illustration of Mr. Ciotti’s archaism. In another era, Mr. Ciotti would undoubtedly have been among those parliamentarians who fought against women’s suffrage. It took until March 24, 1944, and an amendment by communist deputy Fernand Grenier for women to gain the right to vote.
4: In his race for FN voters, Mr. Ciotti is losing his soul. He even contradicts the stance taken by a certain Nicolas Sarkozy in 2005 “Personally, I do not think it would be abnormal for a foreigner who is legally residing, working, paying taxes, and has been living in France for at least ten years, to be able to vote in municipal elections.”
After the Senate’s adoption of the text on voting rights for foreign residents, communist and Left Front activists will organize a citizen vote at Bon Voyage in Nice on this text on Saturday, December 10 at 9 am (Tramway terminus)
