The 2024 European elections in France

French voters will return to the polling booths on Sunday June 9, 2024 to nominate their representatives to the European Parliament: European deputies or MEPs.

Overview of what you need to know about the vote and the candidates in the running.

The ballot, instructions for use:

The voting method is that of direct universal suffrage in one round. Candidates are elected for five years according to the rules of proportional representation by list ballot with the highest average. THE lists which obtained more than 5% of the votes win a number of seats proportional to their number of votes. The lists are national

Since the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union – Brexit -, France has had 79 MEPs in the European Parliament which has 705 elected representatives in the 27 member countries.

During of the previous elections, May 26, 2019 , 34 lists (of 79 candidates each) were in the running in France. The headliners were rare: the party leaders preferred to preserve their national mandates. Indeed, for the first time, the law prohibited the combination of a mandate as an MEP with a national parliamentary mandate or at the head of a local executive (mayor, president of a departmental or regional council). During this 2019 election, the RN was ahead of La République En Marche, but the majority party held up well. LR had been largely left behind. The Greens had created a surprise.

The parties are preparing:

Several political parties have already designated their head list for the European elections, while others are still procrastinating. Overview nine months before the election.

They are already launched:

Communist Party: Léon Deffontaines

There is also room for youth on the left, with the communist Léon Deffontaines, barely 27 years old. This close friend of Fabien Roussel, whose spokesperson he was in 2022, will have to do better than the 2.5% of the PCF in the last European elections.

Europe-ecology – The Greens: Marie Toussaint

Among the environmentalists, it is the outgoing MEP Marie Toussaint who will lead the battle. This 36-year-old lawyer, unknown to the general public, will have the difficult task of succeeding the media Yannick Jadot, satisfactory third in 2019 with 13.5% of the votes.

National rally: Jordan Bardella

Coming first in 2019 with more than 23% of the votes, Jordan Bardella is leaving for a tour with the National Rally. Having become president of his party in the meantime, Marine Le Pen’s young foal will, at only 28 years old, have the objective of remaining on the highest step of the podium.

Reconquest: Marion Maréchal

Jordan Bardella (RN) will have to deal with competition from Marion Maréchal, who will lead the list of Reconquête, Eric Zemmour’s party. At 33, Marine Le Pen’s niece is making her big “political comeback” in the wake of the ex-polemicist, fourth in the 2022 presidential election.

They are still thinking

The Macron camp:

The presidential camp is still waiting. Second in 2019 with 22.4% of the votes, the alliance between Renaissance, Horizons and Modem will likely be renewed, but probably not embodied again by Nathalie Loiseau (59 years old). At this stage, the head of the Renew group in Brussels, Stéphane Séjourné (38), seems best placed.

The Republicans :

On the right, if there is no doubt that the Republicans will also be in the running, the suspense continues over the identity of the leader. Despite his disappointing score (8.5%) in the last election, François-Xavier Bellamy (37 years old) seems to hold the rope, even if the name of the former Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier (72 years old), is regularly mentioned.

Socialist Party :

THE Socialist Party has adopted the principle of an autonomous list , which activists must still validate on October 5. At this stage the essayist Raphaël Glucksmann, 43, who announced that he would be a candidate again, is the favorite to take the lead, as in 2019. The president of the Place publique party then received 6.2%. votes.

Rebellious France:

The probable socialist list leaves La France insoumise alone, despite its repeated calls for the union of the left. For lack of anything better, the outgoing Manon Aubry, 33, was tasked with “coordinating the campaign” to “obtain unity”. The one which obtained 6.3% in 2019 was therefore preferred to Ségolène Royal, who created a surprise by proposing her candidacy .

And also…

The sovereignist MP Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (62 years old) announced a Debout la France list, which he does not however “necessarily intend to lead”. This project, which will be presented in more detail at the end of September, could involve the president of the Patriotes, Florian Philippot, as well as the philosopher Michel Onfray.

The head of the National Hunters’ Federation, Willy Schraen (54), “consults” and “thinks with the rural world”. Very tempted to go on the campaign trail, he should decide whether or not to go in November.