Sunday, it is not an election but 577 votes which will take place to elect the deputies who will sit in the National Assembly. Deputies are elected locally, by constituency, for a national mandate. The duration of the legislative mandate is five years, except in the event of dissolution of the Assembly by the President of the Republic, which would cause new elections.
Deputies have several missions. First, that of passing the laws, tabled by the government or by the deputies themselves. Then, that of controlling the action of the government, by questioning it, in particular during the famous “QAG”, questions to the government, which take place on Tuesday afternoons in the National Assembly and through parliamentary committees. Finally, the deputies can question the responsibility of the government, through a motion of censure. If passed, the government is overthrown.
Deputies are elected by majority vote in two rounds. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast, with at least 25% of the voters registered on the electoral lists. In the event of a tie, the two leading candidates are qualified for the second round, but for the others, it is necessary to obtain a number of votes equal to at least 12.5% of the registered voters. The candidate who obtains the most votes is elected. In the event of a tie, the oldest candidate wins.
Beware of abstention
The participation rate has strong consequences on the qualification of candidates in the second round: in fact, the higher the number of abstentions, the more difficult it will be to obtain the 12.5% of registered voters necessary to remain. With the low participation announced by the polls, the triangular will therefore be rare. During the legislative elections of 2017, only one triangular had taken place in the Aube because of the record abstention (51.3%): less than half of the voters had gone to the polls.
Note: we do not vote for one person, but for a pair: the deputy and his deputy. The latter is required to replace the elected in the event of impediment: accumulation of mandates, appointment to the government, death, etc.
Unlike the presidential election, only one week separates the first from the second round, which will therefore take place on Sunday, June 19.