Fourth district of the Low-Rhine

Geographical and demographic description

The fourth district is made up of four cantons:

From 1958 to 1986 was added to these cantons that of Schiltigheim, today integral part of the third district, and some communes of the Canton of Hochfelden; this last is today integrated in the seventh district.

At the same time rural district, around the Kochersberg in particular, and périurbaine in the cantons of Illkirch and Mundolsheim, it gathers the periphery close to the town of Strasbourg. It is about the one of the districts the most populated of Alsace, with more than 120000 inhabitants. Its canton more populated is that of Illkirch.

The district is rather largely catholic. The cantons of Truchtersheim and Geispolsheim are very largely catholic even if certain communes of these cantons are Protestant. The town of Illkirch-Graffenstaden is historically Protestant, just as part of the communes of the canton of Mundolsheim, like Niederhausbergen or Vendenheim.

The practice of the dialect remains developed enough in the whole of the cantons of the district, and in particular in the rural canton of Truchtersheim. Historically the practice of French remained very weak until in the years 1950-1960, and that in the whole of the cantons.

Political description

The fourth district of the Low-Rhine was regarded a long time as that of " Strasbourg-Campagne" , gathering rather rural cantons directed towards the town of Strasbourg. Today, the majority of the cantons composing it can be regarded as périurbains, the canton of Truchtersheim being however definitely more rural than the three others.

The first cutting of the district, established in 1928, allowed the election of the democrat Charles Frey, future mayor of Strasbourg, which was re-elected in 1932 with the support of the party catholic, but beaten in 1936 by the Communist " orthodoxe" A. Daul, which carried it with the general surprise because of internal divisions of the Alsatian center-right. The candidature of the " catholic indépendant" Jacques Fonlupt-Espéraber, maintained to the second turn, caused the failure of Frey then. The district was also the ground of establishment of the leader separatist Karl Roos, who does not succeed in however carrying it at the time of polls the 1928,1932 and 1936 old.

Following the example majority of the Alsatian districts, the political confrontation thereafter a long time summarized with an opposition between the gaullists and the Christian-Democrats, marked by a strong domination of the partisans of the general de Gaulle.

Initially held by the deputy MRP Lux, who had rather clearly carried it, with the support of the gaullists, on the mayor of Schiltigheim Ritter in 1958; the district rather quickly passed to the hands of the candidate close to the gaullists in 1962, G. Ritter, which had been excluded from CNIP to be itself marked for the " oui" with the referendum of 1962. This one was rather easily re-elected with the first turn in 1967 and 1968. G. Ritter, although non-member of the parties gaullists, had been connected with the group UDR at the assembly, it was based all at the same time on the legitimism of the voters of the district (De Gaulle had obtained 73,5% in 1965 there) and on his personal establishment with Schiltigheim, canton on the left of the district. In 1971, it was however beaten with the town hall by a center list of obedience Christian-Democrat. This failure pushed it not to be represented with the delegation in 1973. Jean-Claude Burckel, “young hope” of UDR, succeeded to him then by carrying it against the new mayor of Schiltigheim P. Schwebel. Just like G. Ritter, J-C. Burckel renonça to be represented following its failure with the conquest of the town of Schiltigheim in 1977. The mayor of Illkirch, Andre Durr, was elected very largely with the second turn against the socialist candidate in 1978. He was easily re-elected into 1981,1986 (by carrying out the list RPR), 1988 and 1993, and was essential like the chief of the RPR of the Low-Rhine during the years 1980, a leadership which him, was however strongly disputed.

In 1995, A. Durr was deposed of its mandate following a charge of misappropriation, which proved to be founded. The by-election organized at the end of 1995 to provide this seat still reinforced the domination Christian-Democrat in the Low-Rhine. Primary elections between CDS Yves Bur, mayor of Lingolsheim, and A. Stoeffler (RPR), mayor of Holtzheim, turned indeed clearly to the advantage of the first, which carried it with the second turn against FN Georges-Pierre Noth. Y. Bur was again re-elected against G-P. Noth in 1997 with 71% of the voices. In 2002, it gained the seat as of the first turn with more than 57% of the voices, it exceeded the absolute majority in the whole of the communes of the district, except for Ostwald.

The district remains since its creation, and after its rehandling in 1986, largely acquired with the right-hand side. Regarded a long time as a bastion of the gaullism, which held it during more than thirty years and which held the majority of the cantons, the district is also the " berceau" policy of Daniel Hoeffel, a long time major figure of the Alsatian centrism and mayor of Handschuheim. Today, former members of RPR hold the cantons of Mundolsheim, Geispolsheim and Illkirch, old near to the UDF that of Truchtersheim. The line carries out its stronger scores in the rural canton of Truchtersheim, but also is very well established in the cantons of Mundolsheim and Geispolsheim. The left remains very marginal in the whole of the district, but it is rather strong in the canton of Illkirch. The town of Illkirch-Graffenstaden, held since 1995 by a mayor PS, remains rather favorable to the right-hand side at the time of the national elections. The town of Ostwald, a long time bastion of the left, passed on the right in 2001. The FN remains an important actor in the district, it was present at the second turn into 1993,1995 and 1997. It carries out its best scores with Illkirch, but undergoes, at the time of the regional elections and cantonal, the competition of the movement Alsace initially.

In 1988, the district votes for J. Chirac (52,1%) with the second tower of the presidential one.

In 1995, it places J-M. Le Pen at the head (25,3%) in front of E. Balladur (24,2%), J. Chirac (17,3%) and L. Jospin (17,1%). With the second round it very largely chooses J. Chirac (60,7%).

In 2002, Jean-Marie Le Pen (FN) again at the head places (22,2%) in front of Jaques Chirac (UMP; 18,7%), Francois Bayrou (UDF; 12,9%) and Lionel Jospin (PS; 11,1%).

In 2007, she votes Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP; 39,9%), in front of Francois Bayrou (UDF; 23,48%), Ségolène Royal (PS; 16,08%), and Jean-Marie Le Pen (FN; 10,79%).

The elections presidential and legislative of 2007 largely confirmed the anchoring on the right of the district, attenuating even the relative differences between the cantons composing it. NR. Sarkozy passed very close to the 40% with the first turn, carrying out its best departmental score with Truchtersheim, but realizing more than 35% in the three other cantons. F. Bayrou was placed in second position, progressing of more than 10 points compared to 2002, and finding certain scores of the democracy-Christian woman of the years 1960-70. It carried out its best score with Truchtersheim, but exceeded 20% in the whole of the cantons and exceeded S. Royal in Illkirch-Graffenstaden and Ostwald. This one carried out a score lower than that of L. Jospin in 1995, not exceeding the bar of the 20% in aucuns cantons. Finally J-M Le Pen knew a collapse of her score of 2002, mainly with the profit of NR. Sarkozy, but also partially of F. Bayrou. Its fall was particularly marked in Illkirch. With the second turn, NR. Sarkozy carried out a very important result - most extremely since 1974 - in the district, passing very close to the 68%, and exceeding 70% with Truchtersheim. It carried out also 64% of the voices with Illkirch, city managed by the PS, and 65% with Lingolsheim and Ostwald. S. Royal did not exceed 30% with Truchtersheim, and 40% nowhere.

The legislative elections of June confirmed and amplified the result of presidential, the outgoing deputy being re-elected with the first turn. Y. Bur a score comparable with that of 2002 realized (56,8%), the candidate of the PS C. Froehly associated with the mayor of Illkirch reached 15,7%, the candidate Modem A. Meunier, little known, collected 11,1% of the voices, finally the collapse of the FN was confirmed, its candidate collecting only 5% of the voices. The outgoing deputy exceeded the absolute majority in the whole of the cantons, exceeding 60% with Truchtersheim in addition. The candidate PS was clearly marginalized in the whole of the cantons, not preventing Y.Bur from exceeding 50% with Illkirch. The Modem candidate exceeded 10% in the whole of the cantons, but did not find most of the Bayrou voters, parties mainly towards the UMP candidate and the abstention.

So the political orientation of the district leaves rather reinforced by the last expiries. The line was reinforced in the cantons of Geispolsheim, Mundolsheim and Illkirch, like in Truchtersheim. This last more rural canton remains the stronghold of the right-hand side, NR. Sarkozy there having exceeded 70% and Y. Bur 60%. The domination of the right-hand side is very clear in Geispolsheim and Mundolsheim, and in the city held by the PS of Illkirch, where the candidate PS carried out only 35% on May 6th. In the same way the old socialist city of Ostwald largely decided for NR. Sarkozy (63%). The weakness of the left thus remains generalized here, as well in the cities as in rural environment.

History of the elections

In 1995 the deputy André Durr was deposed of his mandate following a judgment for misappropriation. Yves Bur (UDF-CDS) was elected at the time of the successive by-election with this forfeiture.

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