Sorry, I missed this:

Well, "le" is an indirect object pronoun meaning him, her, or you (formal, singular). In the sentence I posted, it referred to Jones.

Jones, then, is identified both explicitly and with a pronoun (for the same verb)—a rather odd concept. Literally, the sentence means "Him [I] wrote to Jones," him being Jones. Frustratingly enough, Spanish won't allow you to just specify the indirect object while omitting the corresponding pronoun.

Does French have a similar rule?

Strictly speaking, no. You wouldn't say "I wrote him Jones" in proper French.

However, in substandard oral French, it is somewhat common to use a third person pronoun and to follow it with the corresponding noun in order to clarify. For example, you might start saying, "I wrote him a letter" and decide in mid-sentence that to need to clarify "him," in which case you would say "I wrote him a letter, [to] Jones" (« Je lui ai écrit une lettre, à Jones »).

This practice applies to all third person pronouns. If you wanted to say that Jones came to your house (Jones would be the subject in this case), you might say, "He came to my house, Jones" (« Il est venu chez moi, Jones »). Again, though, this is substandard French.

[à]

The same is true of French. For example, "I sent Jones a letter" would be « J'ai envoyé une lettre à Jones ».

However, you never use a pronoun to make an explicit reference to a direct object in French (which you do in Spanish if it's a person): "I called Jones" would be « J'ai appelé Jones » in French but "Llamé a Jones" in Spanish (while "I called the cat" would be "Llamé el gato," because the cat isn't a person).

The MoDem will be able to air twenty-minute segments reserved for the lists that have the endorsement of a parliamentary group in addition to the two-minute segments reserved for all candidates. The centrist group in the Senate voted on whether to endorse the MoDem, and the final result was an 11-11 tie; the president of the group, an opponent of Bayrou, voted in his favor "in the name of pluralism."

The deadline for declaring lists was yesterday (Friday) evening. In total, there are 161 lists in the eight constituencies. The ministry of the interior will publish the final list of candidates on Monday.

François Hollande (PS)

The European Parliament will vote on a similar measure, Amendment 138, but there is some debate over whether the amendment applies to the Hadopi Law. According to Viviane Reding the CSV European commissioner from Luxembourg for new technologies, it does not.

The National Assembly rejected 21-15 the Hadopi project, which would crack down on illegal downloading on the interwebs. The plan included email warnings first and later cutting your internet connection outright (while still making you pay for your "connection"). The PS managed to get more deputies out there, in addition to Dupont-Aignan and Jean Dionis du Séjour (NC) also voting against.

Great news for democracy!

The fact that the bill was rejected is great news, but I wouldn't say that only 36 of 577 MNAs showing up to vote, especially on a bill as hyped as this one, is exactly great news for democracy. This was a fluke. It's worth noting that this is only the fourth time a bill that passed through a joint committee is defeated in the final vote, after 1966, 1973, and 1983.

Copé announced that there would be a re-vote on April 28, and I doubt the UMP leadership will let this happen again. But they can't reintroduce the final version; they will have to vote on the bill as it stood as of the last amendment approved by the National Assembly (which means that those who lose their Internet connection don't need to pay for it).

Thanks!

And still wanting your requests for inner city income maps

I would love to see Nantes, if it isn't too much trouble

the PS is split almost down to 50-50 at times (look at the polling data, re: Voting intentions based on 2005 vote).

2005 was rather a referendum on Chirac, just as 1992 was a referendum on Mitterrand. I'm sure a majority of Socialist voters voted "yes" in 1992, and that a majority of RPR voters voted "no."

There won't be ANY MRC candidate in these elections (neither on PS lists, nor on Front de Gauche ones, nor on autonomous ones): very surprising for a souverainiste movement.

Wow. So the only party running with the PS will be the PRG?
It is fitting though, when you hear what Chevènement says about the EU; it doesn't really match up with the PS.

Murphy 51.25%
Tedisco 48.75%

I'm feeling less optimistic...

Tedisco 50.75%
Murphy 49.25%

Montebourg has released the first part of his report on how to reform the PS. His main points include the establishment of American-style open primaries (also used in Greece and Italy) and starting the preparation of the presidential race four years before the election.

In other words, hold the presidential primary right now while Royal is still politically relevant (as Royal suggested immediately after her defeat), and let the MoDem militants vote while you're are it.

Although it would be nice if France had a much simpler partisan registration system.

2. Cécile Jonathan

I got a comment from her protesting that Google does in fact know her (now, yes). She has a gmail account. lolz

Wait... was this a response to this post on this forum?

Sylvie Guillaume (scarier. Google search returns nothing about her. Holy crap), Cécile Jonathan (see that Guillaume person)

My blog, which said the same thing as that post.

Ah, yes. I see the comment.

2. Cécile Jonathan

I got a comment from her protesting that Google does in fact know her (now, yes). She has a gmail account. lolz

Wait... was this a response to this post on this forum?

Sylvie Guillaume (scarier. Google search returns nothing about her. Holy crap), Cécile Jonathan (see that Guillaume person)

Murphy 51.25%
Tedisco 48.75%

With 58.3% of the ballots counted, the "yes" led with 94.1%. Turnout was estimated at 60.81%.

France24 in English

[quote author=Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! link=topic=94312.msg1955029#msg1955029 date=1238293132]
A PS government from 2000 to 2002 would have been interesting. What would 2002 look like in this scenario?
[/quote]

If the PS prime minister plays his or her cards right, he or she would win. If things are really bad for him, Chirac might not even run (as Mitterrand considered during the first cohabitation).

However, I think the most likely outcome is that the prime minister is as nasty and abrasive towards Chirac, who, like Mitterrand in 1986–1988, distances himself from the government as the prime minister's approvals plummet. I can imagine Chirac winning a 1988-esque victory in 2002. Mitterrand was probably one of his greatest mentors…

Results should start coming in at 8:00pm CET (that's 2:00pm USET; France is now on summer time).

RFO Mayotte will be covering the election from 8:00pm to 9:30pm CET, and will have a live feed here.

Again, results (including results by commune) will be available here.

For reference, Mayotte is one hour ahead of metropolitan France, so seven hours ahead of US Eastern time.

I don't see how the right could have repeated 1993, but, at the same time, I can't imagine Chirac losing his majority immediately after having won the presidency and ended a cohabitation.

In the end, I think the right would have won a smaller majority than in 1993 (the right-left divide would have been somewhere between 2002 and 2007), but a majority nonetheless. The PS would have gained the most seats, and the UDF would have lost the most. (Remember that the UDF was in a very bad shape in 1995; it hadn't even managed to field a candidate from its own ranks, and many of its members had supported Chirac over Balladur.) The RPR probably would have netted a few seats.

I wonder whether the FN would have won many seats after Le Pen's strong showing in the presidential race. The MPF would have been another party to watch.

The ramifications past 1995 would have been interesting. A defeat for the PS would not have helped Emmanuelli, to say the least, but would Jospin have been the one to defeat him, or would someone else have run? Would Jospin have lasted five years as first secretary? In 2000, you would have had another legislative election, and, given the way French politics worked under the septennat, the left would have likely taken the National Assembly. Then we would have had a repeat of 1986–1988: a rough, two-year cohabitation setting the stage for a presidential election pitting the incumbent against the prime minister.

In the 1995 presidential debate, Chirac told Jospin that, if Jospin won and dissolved the Assembly, there was no way the left could win a majority, and that there would be at least five more years of cohabitation. Now that would be an interesting scenario. I don't see how a president can lose legislative elections right after his election. Sure, the left wasn't popular in 1995, but the right wasn't popular in 2007, and it still won. (Remember that Sarkozy ran against Chirac and Villepin, and I don't think I need to remind you that Royal was a bad candidate; a generic socialist would have handily defeated a generic UMPer.)

As posted in last year's French by-elections thread, the French "overseas collectivity" of Mayotte will hold a referendum tomorrow to decide whether or not the island will become a department. The "yes" is expected to win handily, and the most important political parties all support it.

Mayotte was a part of the French Comoros until 1974. That year, the Comoros voted for independence with 95%, but 65% of Mahoran voters chose to remain part of France.

In February 1976, 99.4% of voters chose to remain French. However, that April, 97%, most of whom wanted to become a department, voted against remaining a French territory, and the island became a "territorial collectivity."

In 2000, 72.93% of voters chose to become a "departmental collectivity." Again, most of the "no" voters supported becoming a full department.

If, as expected, the "yes" wins, then Mayotte will instantly become an overseas department like Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Guyane. However, it will take twenty-five to thirty years for the island to receive the full benefits of being a department, mostly for economic reasons.

Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Guyane are simultaneously overseas regions (with a regional council) and overseas departments (with a general council). However, Mayotte would have a single council.

Turnout numbers and results by commune will be available here.

I'm not sure at what time the polls close. I know metropolitan France turns its clocks forward an hour tomorrow, but I'm not sure if Mayotte has summer time.

It took a personal visit from the mayor, an agreement to help settle a nasty political dispute, a vow to take a second crack at nonpartisan elections, and a frank discussion of money.

But the leaders of the New York City Independence Party, their demands met and hurt feelings assuaged, are ready to give Michael R. Bloomberg their ballot line in the fall.

More at link.

We don't have a thread for the regionals, but the UMP held its primary today. The results are available on the party website.

Turnout in brackets.


Basse Normandie [57.04%]: Lambert 54.59%, , Améline 45.41%

Bourgogne [46.50%]: Suguenot 57.50%, Anciaux 42.50%

Centre [45.81%]: Novelli 72.60%, Lepeltier 27.40%

Ile-de-France [48.08%]: Pécresse 59.87%, Karoutchi 40.13%

Languedoc Roussillon [53.25%]: Couderc 35.43%, Castex 32.95%, Jeanjean 21.54%, Rivenq 10.08%

Midi-Pyrénées [45.50%]: Barèges 54.63%, Trémège 45.37%

Nord-Pas-de-Calais [36.92%]: Lazaro 77.55%, Pick 22.45%

Rhône-Alpes [32.65%]: Grossetête 46.92%, Carle 28.28%, Blanc 24.81%

Aquitaine: Darcos unopposed

Bretagne: Le Guen unopposed

Champagne-Ardenne: Warsmann unopposed

Franche-Comté: Joyandet unopposed

Haute Normandie: Le Maire unopposed

Limousin: Archer unopposed

Lorraine: Hénart unopposed

Pays de la Loire: Bachelot unopposed

Picardie: Cayeux unopposed

Poitou-Charentes: De Richemont unopposed


No results available for Auvergne, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, or the overseas regions.

Dieudonné will lead an "anti-Zionist" list in Ile-de-France. He claims that the UMP and the PS declared a "cultural war" against him after he publically denied the Holocaust and mocked its victims.

[United States]

79 of the 155 members of the Assembly for French Citizens Abroad will be up for election this spring—specifically those representing North America, South America, and Africa. The representatives serve six-year staggered terms, and half of the Assembly is up for election every three years. Registered voters may vote at their consulate on June 7; alternatively, they will be able to mail in their ballots or vote online between May 20 and June 4.

Africa and the Americas are divided into 27 constituencies. The vote is first by the post in constituencies with under three representatives, and proportional representation in those with three or more. Candidate lists should be announced on April 13.

The constituencies are, with the number of corresponding seats:

United States

Chicago (1): IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI
Houston (1): AR, LA, OK, TX
San Francisco (4): AK, AZ, CA, CO, GU, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY
Washington (5): AL, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, MS, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV

Canada

Montreal (5): NB, NL, NS, PE, QC
Toronto (3): AB, BC, MB, NT, NU, ON, SK, YT

Latin America and Caribbean

Brasilia (3): Brazil, Guyana, Suriname
Buenos Aires (3): Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
Caracas (3): Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Mexico City (3): Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama
Port-au-Prince (1): Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Granada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint-Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago

Africa

Abidjan (4): Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia
Algiers (4): Algeria
Antananarivo (4): Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles
Bamako (3): Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger
Brazzaville (3): Algeria, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa
Cairo (2): Egypt, Sudan
Dakar (4): Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone
Djibouti City (2): Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia
Johannesburg (1): Botswana, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Libreville (3): Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tome and Príncipe
Lome (2): Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo
Nairobi (2): Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Nouakchott (1): Mauritania
Rabat (5): Morocco
Tunis (3): Libya, Tunisia
Yaounde (4): Cameroon, Central African Republic

The current makeup of the Assembly is:
74 - Union of French Citizens Abroad (UFE): rightist, associatd with the UMP
57 - Democratic Association of French Voters Abroad (ADFE): leftist, associated with the PS
24 - Rally of French Citizens Abroad (RFE): rightist, associated with the UMP