A significant turnout of French nationals in Montreal is expected on Saturday for the first round of France’s parliamentary elections. This election is driven by concerns over the surging far-right party and its allies leading in polls back in France.
Quebec hosts 260,000 French citizens, with 200,000 residing in Montreal, making it the largest French population outside mainland France. This group represents over a quarter of registered French voters in North America, according to the French government.
French citizens abroad vote in 11 different districts, each electing a deputy to the National Assembly, which comprises 577 seats. French nationals in Montreal share their district with those living in the United States, Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, and Bermuda. On Saturday, they will choose from nine candidates, including those from President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party and the anti-immigrant National Rally.
Marie Lapierre, France’s Consul General in Montreal, anticipates a voter turnout rate double that of 2022. “In the last parliamentary election in 2022, we had about a 25 percent turnout. This time we are prepared for about 50 percent,” she stated.
The French community in Montreal has shown strong mobilization efforts, ready to support the voting process. Yan Niesing, president of the Union Française de Montréal, described the election as “historic,” emphasizing the eagerness of the community to participate.
Frédéric Mérand, a political science professor at the Université de Montréal, noted the unusual level of engagement in Montreal for this French election, reflecting the heightened interest and mobilization among the French nationals.
