Test balloon or future proposal for Emmanuel Macron's presidential program?
The right to vote from 16 years old returns to the debate in favor of an interview with Clément Beaune published Wednesday by
L'Opinion
.
Close to the President of the Republic, the Secretary of State for European Affairs wants to
"put this idea in the debate for the presidential election"
.
“No track should be overlooked,” he
explains.
To discover
Presidential 2022: where are the candidates in the polls?
“I'm pretty much in favor of it. But it doesn't have to be a gimmick. We must first mobilize 18-25 year olds who already have the right to vote. And then broaden this right: our democracies cannot afford the luxury of neglecting a track, ”
insists the Secretary of State.
He himself admits that
"saying that we are going to solve the problem of young people's interest in politics by lowering the voting age would be an easy task"
.
Read alsoClément Beaune, Macron's European card for 2022
“The involvement of young people”
in democratic life
“is a challenge for all European countries”
, notes Clément Beaune
, “but its decline is not inevitable”
.
“Proof of this is: for the European elections of May 2019, participation increased in 19 countries, including France.
This is the first shift in this direction for twenty-five years,
”underlines the macronist.
"The vote is once again becoming a mobilization tool"
The Secretary of State, which will play an important role next year during the French presidency of the European Union (PFUE) Book this analysis:
"Climate steps, very strong at that time, played in this sense. The same goes for Brexit: young people have understood that Europe is a fragile project, which is reassuring - when the stakes are understood, and the hour seems serious, the vote becomes again a tool of mobilization, it is not not seen as an old moon ”
.
His proposal was mostly commented on on the left.
"Late awakening of the majority. Yes, the right to vote at 16 makes it possible to fight against the abstention of young people,
”reacted on Twitter Yannick Jadot, the EELV candidate for the presidential election. Same favorable reception from the Insoumis Jean-Luc Mélenchon on social networks:
“We propose the right to vote at 16 years old. At this age, one can have children or participate in professional elections. It is normal that one can also participate by his vote in the life of the city ”
.
While the youngest are rather favorable to Emmanuel Macron, according to the polls, Clément Beaune rejects a lowering of the right to vote for 2022:
"This is why we should not deal with this subject now, but put it in the campaign debate. ”
