Some 48 million voters are called to the polls this Sunday but many could be tempted to enjoy outdoor recreation without wearing a mask and forget to go through the voting booth.
However, there are many motivations for going to vote.
Starting with the fact that regional and departmental councils have powers that affect the daily life of all French people.
But also for political reasons.
Overview.
Read also First round of regional: abstention, hot spots, national ambitions ... the major issues of the ballot
Transportation.
The Region is maneuvering for the organization of regional express trains (TER) and for the development and management of civil aerodromes. She is also in charge of school transport. The departments are responsible for the maintenance and securing of departmental roads (a network of 380,500 km).
Young people
.
In terms of education and training, the Region is responsible for the management of high schools.
It is responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of these establishments which welcome nearly 2.2 million adolescents.
The Region is also in charge of the major professional training dossier, including the integration of young people in difficulty and the training of job seekers.
The departments are responsible for the construction and maintenance of colleges where 3.4 million children study.
Economic development
.
The Region pays grants or loans to create new activities or to finance companies in difficulty.
This skill was particularly highlighted during the Covid crisis by the various outgoing presidents.
Land use planning
. For each mandate, the Region must present a regional plan for planning, sustainable development and equality of the territories (Sraddet). This document should make it possible to reduce imbalances and offer new prospects for living conditions, for example by developing new housing that consumes less energy. The departments contribute to the digital development of the territory (high and very high speed Internet) and draw up plans to facilitate the accessibility of services to the public.
Social assistance.
The departments deal with social assistance for children (and in particular unaccompanied foreign minors), the management of active solidarity income (RSA) but also disability, the elderly (notably via the personalized allowance of 'autonomy). This social area represents nearly 60% of the operating budget.
2022 on the horizon.
If the campaign was so electric, it is because these regional and departmental elections are the last electoral warm-up before the presidential election of 2022. The results of the regional elections above all can have important consequences for knowing what political landscape is emerging. In Hauts-de-France, will Xavier Bertrand win, a condition that he imposed on himself to run for president? Same question for Valérie Pécresse in Ile-de-France or Laurent Wauquiez in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Can the candidates from the presidential majority win a region and if so, with support from the right or the left? Can Marine Le Pen gain credibility by taking a region for the first time? Can the parties of the right and of the left survive the possible tensions between the two rounds? So many questions that will agitate the staffs of the parties from this Sunday evening. And which will make, before the second round of next Sunday, the coming week also very electric.
