French residents living in Shanghai have not been able to vote in the first round of the French elections, according to reports from Le Monde.
On Friday, April 8, the authorities said in lieu of the sanitary conditions polling stations would not open. The embassy said in a statement ‘it was decided not to open the polling stations of Shanghai for the first round of the presidential election.’
What’s happening in Shanghai?
The COVID-19 pandemic is Shanghai is the worst it has been in two years. We are now two years into the pandemic but for many in Shanghai it feels as if it is just beginning. They have been experiencing a peak in reported cases and authorities have put the whole city into lockdown. The Shanghainese population has been made to stay home under very strict measures.
It has been the two weeks that Shanghai has been under total or partial confinement. It means that only essential personal are allowed outside. However, this is putting a strain on everything. Shanghai is the financial hub of the world but workers cannot work, therefore the whole world has felt repercussions. Furthermore, people are not allowed out for essential supplies. Everyone is feeling strained.
Because of the situation it was, therefore, decided by the authorities the French embassy would not be allowed to hold the first round of the presidential elections.
What does it mean for voters and for democracy?
The city of Shanghai is the biggest city of China but it also comprises a pretty big international population. Indeed there are nearly 5,000 French voters in the Shanghai constituency. These 5,000 voters have been denied the right to vote for their president in lieux of the situation.
Many people over there have spoken out, arguing that China is restricting their freedom of speech and their right to vote. It is currently not known whether they will be able to vote in the second round on April 24.
The choice to not open the polls came quite late for voters. Therefore they were not able to go to the embassy to register to vote by proxy. While they might not count as the biggest majority and they alone might not make the tide turn, these are registered voters who cannot vote. The French people living in Shanghai make up more than half of the French community living in all of mainland China.
Upholding The Right To Vote
The right to vote is a right upheld by the French constitution – basically, while you are allowed to abstain from voting, you should still have the choice to vote should you choose. There are a total of seven polling station across China. The other six are all open as normal.
People have said this is an opposition to democracy as it is a citizens civic duty to vote for their leader should they choose to. However, taking that right away is not normal. It is understandable that the situation is precarious at the moment, but is that enough of an excuse to stop citizens from voting? If this is the way we are heading in then is democracy in danger?