Hervé Mariton is a former overseas minister and deputy. He is now LR mayor of Crest.
To discover
YOUR COMMUNE - The results of the second round of the presidential election in your area
Overseas, for the most part, had chosen Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first round of the presidential election and voted for Marine Le Pen in the second round.
It is difficult to demonstrate whether a vote is the expression of a positive adhesion or simply a rejection of the alternative;
the succession of the two turns illustrates, without dispute, that it is about the rejection of the outgoing candidate, of a massive protest.
The determinants of this protest deserve to be studied, beyond repeated proclamations which do not shed light on the novelty, the particularity of the 2022 vote in the Overseas Territories.
So the argument of post-colonial distrust could explain the result of the poll?
No.
Reunionese society, highlighted for the success of its ethnic mix, does not
So what are the causes?
There is a malaise, it is heavy.
It is social (poverty, unemployment), economic (high cost of living), security (high levels of delinquency), identity (migration pressure on several territories).
This malaise is suffered in societies where the weight of the public sector is dominant, more so than in mainland France.
The State, communities and public establishments are omnipresent.
But
“the State cannot do everything”
, does not respond to all problems;
the disappointment, the malaise worsen.
Life is, in fact, much more expensive in the Overseas Territories, which are too dependent on supplies from mainland France.
Herve Mariton
Some causes have been highlighted.
Populations were more resistant to vaccination.
But the antivax who voted for Jean-Luc Mélenchon in mainland France did not vote as much for Marine Le Pen.
The question of the cost of living is put forward.
Life is, in fact, much more expensive in the Overseas Territories, which are too dependent on supplies from mainland France.
The public sector, sheltered from over-remuneration, is protected, the burden weighs heavily on other consumers.
The claim against “dear life” is permanent.
So when the theme of purchasing power becomes central, it resonates all the more overseas.
This amplification favored Jean-Luc Mélenchon then Marine Le Pen.
And the primed wick augurs an explosive situation.
No more than in mainland France, there
there are miracle solutions overseas to the issue of purchasing power.
The state cannot do everything...
Read alsoPresidential 2022: Emmanuel Macron to conquer the French overseas
An electoral campaign is carried by the candidates;
it is accompanied by relays, parliamentarians, local elected officials.
If a few personalities float, the observation is that of a political class suffering from a more serious discredit than in mainland France.
There is no longer a net to prevent the protest vote from engulfing...
Finally, the candidates for the presidential election will have paid attention to the Overseas Territories in 2022, less than ever.
The Covid crisis and Ukraine have a good back.
The truth is that Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen are those who expressed the most interest in it.
It pays off.
Institutions can interest elected officials, they do not excite citizens.
Herve Mariton
An evil genie might want to punish those who didn't grant him their favor, at the very least sulk them.
The President of the Republic, attached to uniting the Nation, surely has another ambition.
We must act, invent a new policy.
No longer from crisis to crisis, each time violence enters the national news, but in an ambition shared with local actors but also with the whole of the national community.
The Overseas are not dancers, mourners who are expensive and moreover vote badly.
They are a dimension of France, with challenges to solve, constraints to overcome, opportunities to explore, chances to succeed.
A new policy for overseas territories calls for structural reforms.
The institutional dimension is not primary.
The president-candidate has largely opened this debate, he has not triggered any enthusiasm.
Institutions can interest elected officials, they do not excite citizens.
Emmanuel Macron's scores prove that this issue is not a priority.
It can only come as a useful tool to solve other problems.
My conviction is that the problem of the Overseas Territories is partly security.
The crisis in Guadeloupe this fall demonstrated this.
The State must refuse compromise, compromise, not weaken.
This is its primary mission.
This basis being assured, the essence of the problem is social and economic.
The social drama is that of a high level of unemployment, dramatically high for young people (half of young working people), of a drain of skills, of a civil service in society.
The economic drama is that of the high cost of living, the insufficient number and weight of companies, and an often unsuitable national framework.
The credo of the Federation of Overseas Enterprises is that the future of the Overseas Territories depends on business development.
To create wealth, to develop employment,
to emerge from social misery and demographic decline.
We call for a programming law in favor of the economic development of the Overseas Territories.
Beyond the framework, we believe in a top-down solution to the ill-being of our societies.
We want to tackle the challenges of the energy transition head-on: our renewable energy potential is significant.
Our skills allow us to be offensive in the digital transition, attractive in our regional basins.
The challenges of submarine cables are topical.
The transformation towards a local industry 4.0 is an opportunity to adapt production tools to our markets.
Biodiversity, the natural wealth of our territories are also an opportunity for the economy, through the rational development of resources, in tourism too.
The State must guarantee compliance with the rules, for example for compliance with payment deadlines.
He must know how to adapt and adapt the standards to the specificities of the territories.
Herve Mariton
This new impetus must be served by appropriate structural reforms.
The priorities are investment and improvement of companies' own funds, adaptation of training, upgrading of infrastructure and communication.
The State must guarantee compliance with the rules, for example for compliance with payment deadlines.
He must know how to adapt and adapt the standards to the specificities of the territories.
The framework must be predictable, sanitized, adapted.
He must be offensive, optimistic.
Bill Clinton said
"it's the economy, stupid"
to emphasize that the economy came first.
Our overseas fellow citizens should not be despised in their vote;
they deserve answers.
The most effective will be to develop the economy, to encourage businesses, to create jobs there.
Not everything will be resolved, but the spiral of ill-being will be lifted.
