French expats in Saudi Arabia prepare to vote in elections

RIYADH: French expatriates, who have been living and working in Saudi Arabia, will be able to vote in French general elections this year. France will go to the polls in April and May this year to pick the new president, and the world will be watching to see how and who it elects as its new leader at a time, when the world in general and Europe in particular are facing new challenges.
“A total of 3,121 French nationals living in the Kingdom have been registered to vote,” said Slimani Mounir, a spokesman of the French Embassy in Riyadh. He pointed out that the first round of the French presidential election will take place on April 23, while the second round will be held on May 7 in case none of the candidates bag more than 50 percent in the first round.
He further explained: “For the presidential election process, it is necessary to go to the polling station or vote by proxy.” He said that it is not possible to vote via postal ballot or Internet. French nationals only registered on the consular electoral list 2017 at the French Embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah will be able to vote in the Kingdom, said Mounir.
Referring to the legislative elections, the spokesman said that the first round of poll for electing members of Parliament will be held on June 4 in which French expatriates, including those living in Saudi Arabia, will cast their votes. The first round of legislative elections, however, will be held in France on June 11 and the second round on June 18. “For the legislative election process, it is required to go to the polling station or vote by proxy or vote via Internet,” he noted.
He pointed out that three polling stations — one in Riyadh, one in Jeddah and another one in Alkhobar — will be set up in the Kingdom. The election in France has generated a lot of interest. After the surprise of Britain’s Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump as US president, just what kind of politician — and politics — France chooses will be of huge interest to many, not just those inside Europe. The top four candidates in 2017’s French election are Francois Fillon (Les Republicains), Benoit Hamon (Socialists), Marine Le Pen (Front National) and Emmanual Macron (Independent). There is no clear winner at this stage.