Foreigners in France 'should be given local votes back'

The debate about granting foreign residents in France the right to vote in local elections has resurfaced as two new proposals aim to lift longstanding restrictions that limit the vote to French and EU citizens.

Any reform would come too late for next month’s municipal elections on March 15 and 22 - which will be the first in which British citizens in France will not be able to vote, due to losing EU citizenship. It would also face strong opposition from the right and far-right, who argue it would ‘water down’ nationality.

In February, parliament was set to debate a bill on this subject after it was proposed by an Ecologist MP.

However, MPs from the centre, right and far right tabled more than 500 amendments, preventing the text from being debated in time.

Foreigners’ vote campaigner Mohamed Ben Saïd, a Tunisian doctor, said: “They were afraid of the debate, so they blocked it.

“We had been hopeful and happy the debate could return to parliament.”

His group, J’y suis, j’y vote, says extending voting rights is a natural continuation of democratic advances such as women’s suffrage.

“It’s a question of equal rights and inclusivity,” he told The Connexion.

“Residents who have been in France for years should be able to participate fully in local democracy.”

He said they are equally affected by issues such as transport, schooling or water.

Second proposed law

A second bill, put forward by an LFI (far-left) MP and calling for voting rights in all local elections is also due to be examined.

This bill would extend local voting rights to all foreign residents, including EU citizens who have been able to vote in municipal and European elections – but not in departmental or regional polls – since the constitution was revised in 1998 after the Maastricht Treaty.

Any new law would also require constitutional revision, including a referendum if put forward by an MP. Dr Ben Saïd said the new law seeks cross-party support and could be debated before summer.

“We hope the debate can finally take place in society, through a referendum and a democratic decision. We want to move forward.”

The idea is not new. MP Léa Balage El Mariky, who tabled the stalled bill, notes that during the Revolution, citizenship – including voting – was not strictly linked to nationality.

François Mitterrand included municipal voting rights for foreigners resident for at least five years in his ‘110 propositions for France’ ahead of his 1981 election. Laws were voted through the Assemblée in 2000 and Senate in 2011 but never reached final stages.

Ms Balage El Mariky aimed to revive the 2011 text so it could go to referendum if approved by MPs.

Dr Ben Saïd said: “The right thought the proposed law would be blocked by the Assemblée nationale’s laws commission [which approves laws for debate] but when they saw it was going through, Eric Zemmour [of far-right Reconquête] immediately launched a petition and some billionaire-owned media, such as CNews and BFM, also campaigned against it. There was a CNews [also Europe 1 and JDD]-commissioned petition showing 71% against.”

This contrasts with Harris polls run since 1994 for Lettre de la Citoyenneté, which regularly show support – most recently 66% – when respondents are told EU nationals can vote locally and asked if the same should apply to other foreign residents.

Dr Ben Saïd said the other poll reacted to current events and asked simply: “Are you for or against non-EU foreigners being able to vote in and stand in municipal elections?”

He is calling on supporters to organise symbolic citizens’ votes on the topic during the forthcoming elections. If non-EU foreigners gained the same rights as EU citizens, they could stand in elections but not become mayors.

Reconquête spokesman Samuel Lafont told The Connexion they are “familiar with the arguments of those who want to give the vote to the whole world and soon to Martians as well” and that, for his party, the issue is simple: “Voting is attached to nationality, to citizenship, other than the exception that is made for EU citizens with regard to municipal elections.”

He said their petition “exploded”, gaining 150,000 signatures.

It warned citizenship would be “emptied of its meaning” if the vote is extended, also risking foreign influence over France.

“If a foreigner has the same rights as a national, nationality starts to become meaningless,” Mr Lafont said.

He added that municipal voting could be a “foot in the door” leading to further demands, including national elections. He said the current rule is “clear and simple”, while extending the vote raises questions about eligibility: “Should you be able to vote because you visited the commune once in your life? Or because you once took a photo there or liked it on Facebook?”

CNRS emeritus migration researcher Catherine Wihtol de Wenden said opponents “stuffed the proposed law with amendments” in a deliberate attempt to stop it.

“Such a massive amount of criticism was directed against the project, despite the fact, we shouldn’t forget, there are 15 EU countries out of 27 who have already given the vote to foreign residents,” she said.

“The right to vote is a legitimate thing to ask for and there have been other previous attempts, but the far-right is so powerful now, they completely blocked the bill.”

Countries including Denmark, Luxembourg, Ireland and Spain allow foreign residents to vote locally, typically after several years’ residency and sometimes requiring reciprocity.

England and Northern Ireland grant the vote to UK, Irish and Commonwealth citizens, pre-Brexit EU citizens, and post-Brexit EU citizens if reciprocity exists. Wales and Scotland require only residency.

She said passing a law would require “a lot of tenacity” in a difficult political climate,

with the far-right influencing debate ahead of presidential elections. Municipal voting for long-term residents would strengthen mayors’ mandates and encourage civic participation among the young, who would see their parents voting, she said.

“As long as they are not part of the electorate, some parties take advantage of this to discredit and insult foreigners,” she added. “I had renewed hope, and have campaigned for the foreigners’ vote myself both as an academic and citizen, but now feel it’s been buried for a while.” Progress might now depend on the presidential election outcome in 2027, she said.

Jules Lepoutre, a public law specialist at Nice Côte d’Azur University, said: “I was surprised to see the topic of the foreigners’ vote come to the forefront again because lately there have been efforts to contain them and to restrict their rights, rather than to extend them.”

He said the left might not have expected the law to pass, but hoped at least to shift the political mood.

Reviving the partially-adopted text had been “intelligent”, but even if both houses approved it, the president could refuse to call a referendum, he said – and there is no evidence President Macron supports one.

The “liberal-minded” Macron of 2017 might have been more open, he said, but attitudes have hardened, citing the 2024 immigration law. “However, there are some on the right who would never accept it, so the key question now would be the attitude of the Renaissance group. It’s not a proposition, in itself, that is shocking to liberals – especially as it’s something already functioning in the EU and widely supported by liberal and centrist groups in the EU itself.”

• French barrister Julien Fouchet, who has been fighting for local and EU voting rights for British citizens post-Brexit has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Alice Bouilliez from Gers. He has also asked President Macron to negotiate a reciprocal voting deal with the UK.

Share your view on this subject? If you are a non-EU resident of France would you welcome a local vote - would you use it and why would it matter to you? Send your view to feedback@connexionfrance.com