the job description of le président de la république

[alittlebitfrench]

I think it is very important for a British expat to expose their tummy and piercing in the Dordogne. It helps with integration with your British neighbours.

A NASA sized satellite dish attached to your house that picks up every broadcasted English channel on the planet helps as well.

A black range rover sport (or the same Audi, BMW type null thing) would be a plus on your CV. Add a personalised index plate as well (like ...I am a coçk 1).....and you are pretty much one of the locals.

[NormanH]

[quote user="mint"]Oops, I did leave out some things, sorry!

None of us who live here can cook and, when we do try out our limited skills, we rely on "food vans" to deliver our marmite, our bisto and, of course, our baked beans.  That is, when we aren't queuing up to buy fish and chips from the chippie van that drives all around the Dordogne to serve us intellectually challenged folk.

[/quote]

How silly of you! I have my Marmite sent over from the UK as a present from friends, the baked beans I get from my local Carrfoure, and the chippie van calls at the local English tea-room so  I can have a pint of Yorkshire tea with the pickled onions and finish up with a cream tea...no need to rely on the local Asda delivery.

On the President, this is what the constitution says: (I have linked to the English version so ALBF can try to  understand it)

http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/english/constitution/constitution-of-4-october-1958.25742.html#TitleII

[alittlebitfrench]

Turn out is estimated at 74 %. Others estimate it is at 65 %

That is quite low for France.

I would do a link in French but Norman would not understand. Just take my word for it. Like I said, they were all on the A10 heading SW for their hols and could not be bothered to vote. Everyone we have spoken to have said the voting stations were empty.

So could MLP pull it of ??

For the benefit of Norman, MLP is one of the candidates in the election.

[lindal1000]

Belgian media seem to know already!

[alittlebitfrench]

Some might argue they new the result 6 months ago !!!

[mint]

Not long to wait now.  In the meantime, I looked at pictures of some of the more unusual locations for the vote, from the grandest to the smallest.

Then, out of nowhere, someone said that in Bangkok, they opened up at 8.00 with the ambassador in attendance and there were croissants!

[Gardian]

Well, no surprise - Macron elected.

We drove past our Mairie this morning and it was all very quiet, voting-wise. But just 200m further on at the 'Salle des Fetes', there was pizza & wine laid on for anybody who cared to avail themselves! Mobbed. Should have popped in, even though we don't have a vote.

It'll be the same tomorrow, for 'Victoire'.

The turnout seems to have been low by French standards. Our neighbours may well have been typical - they voted Melenchon in R1, but were unenthusiastic about either candidate for R2. Suggested that they'd abstain today.

On the subject of us not having a vote, it increasingly hisses me off. If I pay French taxes, I should have a vote here. Conversely, I don't pay UK taxes, yet (for the moment) retain the right to vote in my former constituency. IMO, daft.

[Chancer]

Abstaining is a cop out, its one thing that the French do really get though, there were 4.2 million spoilt ballots, that is 4.2 million who took the time and trouble to go along and express their dissaproval of either candidate, good on them.

 

I worked with a labour local politician when I was an apprentice and he educated me regarding spoiling ballot papers, in all the years that I voted in the local élections in my village where the 2 candidates were as bent as each other there was only ever one spoilt ballot, - mine!

 

I used to write spoilt ballot on it to make sure it was counted.

[NormanH]

It's not quite a spoiled  ballot here.

Instead of putting a cross against a name you have to put the appropriate piece of paper with the candidate's name in an envelope which you then publicly put into a box as they ring a bell and say 'a voté' ... (I did it the shouting during local elections some years back).

To vote 'blanc' you simply put an empty envelope in the box, so it is not some much spoiled as non existent .