FRANCE: Voters in poorer French suburbs cast ballots though most doubt any result will bring improvements to their lives

Residents in the poorer suburbs have been casting their votes in the French presidential elections. With over a million voters, they could sway the election results, though most express little hope of any significant improvement in their lives. Residents of Clichy-sous-Bois, a poor suburb in the eastern outskirts of Paris, on Sunday (April 22) cast their ballots in the first round of the presidential elections. Just a few kilometres from the famous sights of central Paris, the poorer suburbs - or 'banlieue' -- house thousands of unemployed young immigrants, many with little hope of pulling out of poverty and even less hope of finding a job. After the 2005 explosion of violence in such suburbs across France, many people living in these areas still have to cope with poverty, discrimination and social conflict. Although efforts have been made to improve the situation, there has been little impact. Most people have little faith in promises made by politicians and fear the problem will get worse if the new president fails to address the issue. "Now trust is at stake", said Clichy mayor Claude Dilah. "If, the day after the election, whoever the winner is, the ghettos in the banlieue are ignored, I think we will be regressing even further back than where we were before." In recognition of the significant growth in the electoral population in these areas, which account for between seven and nine percent of new voters, even the centre-right hardliner Nicolas Sarkozy, added the banlieue to his campaign trail, but residents are not swayed by the politicians campaigning. The former interior minister's pledge to clean crime-ridden estates with a power hose and rid them of the rioters poisoning life there stoked animosity towards him. The UMP party leader has called for a national plan which would set up a year of professional training to help every young person from the suburbs to get a job. The Socialist Party presidential candidate Ségolène Royal is also campaigning with pledges to to help those in socially-deprived areas. Royal's presidential bid includes a proposal to provide 10,000 euros in financial support for business start ups. Her supporters were also in Vitry on Saturday, handing out leaflets, and received a warmer welcome. A Clichy resident, Philippe, expressed hope young people would get involved in solving the problem politically. "Better that they (the young) stay active through their vote in favour of one or other candidate, than by rioting, car damaging or other uncivil acts. Better if they express themselves within the framework of the laws and the rules of the republic," he said. Another called on politicians to do more to help. "They are the only ones who can solve problems like discrimination, lodging or employment are them, and not the people from the neighbourhood."

ITN Source | April 22, 2007

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