He is now one of the millions of Melanson’s supporters whose second-round vote could determine the election as Emanuel Macron tries to win over them to contain the far-right Marin Le Pen. “Not a single vote for Lepen!” Melanson slammed his supporters after opinion polls showed a third of them might be tempted to vote “anti-systemic” for Le Pen because they despised Macron. “Of course, now I will vote for Macron without hesitation – not for his platform, but to keep Lepen out, otherwise we will be dragged into the far-right dictatorship,” Aminata said. She hoped to work abroad, but if Le Pen was elected she feared she would have to drop out of school and leave France immediately. Aminata wears a Muslim headscarf, which Le Pen wants to ban in all public places, including the street. “My mom is an accountant, she lived through the hardships of working at home during Covid and she thinks Macron handled it well,” Aminata said. “But I felt that Melanson was a vote of hope for young people. he was the only candidate with a real anti-racism platform and he came so close. “ Mélechon was historically highly regarded in the apartment of Seine-Saint-Denis, the traditionally left-wing bastion north of Paris, whose high-rise estates are among the most deprived in France. Across Saint-Denis, Melanson received 49% of the vote – well ahead of Macron with 20% and Le Pen with 11%. But it was in the small town of Seine-Saint-Denis Villetaneuse, with a population of 13,000, that Mélenchon reached one of the highest national scores: 65%. Its inhabitants were now thinking what to do. Aliya, 19, a law student who had voted for Mélenchon with her mother, a local nurse, would now choose Macron to stop Le Pen. “It’s unthinkable – Le Pen’s anti-immigration program against foreigners is unconstitutional and runs counter to the religious freedom of the people to wear headscarves. “I will vote for Macron to keep Lepen out and everyone I know will do the same.” The youth vote will be crucial in the next two weeks. Mélenchon came first among young people aged 18-24 in France, receiving 31% support. The second favorite candidate of the youth was Lepen, with 26%, followed by Macron with only 20%. However, low turnout between the ages of 18-24 will be a key factor in the second round – 42% of young people failed to vote in the first round and it remains to be seen whether they will mobilize now. “I’m worried people will not bother to vote in the final round,” said Amin, 24, outside a supermarket. “I voted for Melanson because he was fighting for equality and there were a lot of racists running for president,” he said, referring to Le Pen and far-right television expert Eric Zemour. “I wonder what to do myself, whether I will vote for Macron or just a blank ballot.” Attendance at Saint-Denis overall was historically low in the first round – 30% of people did not vote and Amin feared they would not mobilize. It was Macron’s vaccination card for Covid that had upset him, which he needed to enter cafes, restaurants and crowded public places, with the central president saying he wanted to put the unvaccinated “on the run”. Amin had a long-term health condition that meant he could not be vaccinated and was also vulnerable to Covid. “I felt stigmatized,” he said. Being a lockdown student was difficult, he dropped out of engineering and recently switched to a communication class, as he grows up a small baby with his fellow student, “which is also very difficult.” His father, who works on construction sites, also voted for Mélenchon. “I think I should vote for Macron in the end because the far-right rhetoric of this campaign was very hateful and aggressive. “This threatens to leave its mark on a country as different as France.” Ishika, an 18-year-old college student, said she voted for Lepen, despite the fact that most of her friends chose Mélenchon. Her parents were from Mauritius and her pro-Macron father, who worked for a car rental company, had tried to persuade her against the far right. “Marine says no one under 30 would pay income tax, which I agree with,” he said. “I also believe that France has allowed many foreigners to enter.” She was angry with Macron over the vaccination card for Covid. “I did not want to be vaccinated, so for many years I could not go to the gym or restaurants,” he said. However, he completely disagreed with the ban on the Muslim headscarf by Le Pen. “This is stigmatizing – but it is also so drawn that I do not think he will ever be able to do it.” Myriam 19, a law student, had also voted for Le Pen. Her brother voted for Melanson and tried to persuade her against Le Pen because their Algerian grandmother in Saint-Denis was wearing a hijab. “But I do not think Lepen is as bad as everyone says,” he said. “And I do not think it will go so far as to ban the headscarf.”
