Second district of Haut-Rhin

Geographical and sociological description

The 2nd district of Haut-Rhin consists of seven cantons:

The district is very largely catholic, quasi exclusively in the cantons of Lapoutroie, Ribeauvillé, Rouffach or Wintzenheim, rather largely in Kaysersberg (except for communes like Bennwihr). The cantons of Munster and Holy-Marie-with-Mines are mainly Protestant, in a rather clear way with Munster, the canton of Holy-Marie-with-Mines being " mixte" with parity between catholics and Protestants.

Historically divided between French-speaking Vosgean cantons with Lapoutroie and - partially - Holy-Marie-with-Mines (the chief town being dialectophone) and the other German-speaking cantons, the district preserves a good level of practice of the Alsatian one. The current practice of the French was spread only after the second world war in the cantons dialectophones. This linguistic division, just like religious division, had important electoral consequences since the constitution of the district.

Political description

The district of Ribeauvillé constituted a clean district only during the inter-war period, this one gathering the cantons of Ribeauvillé then, Kaysersberg, Lapoutroie and Holy-Marie-with-Mines. It had first of all been a catholic line stronghold national UPR and APNA of 1919 to 1932, then had been let allure by an independent candidate close to the right-hand side, the millionaire Maurice Burrus. An important cleavage then distinguished the cantons dialectophones from Kaysersberg and Ribeauvillé, near from the UPR, and the Vosgean cantons of Lapoutroie and Holy-Marie-with-Mines, strongholds of the Burrus deputy. The district of Ribeauvillé did not have any more a clean representative of 1958 to 1986, the first district of Haut-Rhin then gathering the districts of Colmar and Ribeauvillé, which had as a principal consequence to involve the election of deputies colmariens until the Pasqua reform initiated in 1986.

The 2nd district of Haut-Rhin is extended from the department. District rather largely rural, made up of medium-sized cities like Ribeauvillé, Rouffach or Wintzenheim. The industrial fabric was tiny room to Sainte-Marie with the Mines a long time there. Moreover, the district benefits from the vineyards from Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg. The protesting canton of Munster is rather preserving, fatherland of Albert Schweitzer, just like the little populated Vosgean canton of Lapoutroie.

Traditionally directed on the right at the time of the last elections, she elected since 1988 a series of deputies belonging to UDF, in RPR then in UMP. In 1988 outgoing deputy J.P Fuchs, elected colmarien, was invested and elected with the 1st Turn in this rural district with 55% of the voices. He was re-elected in 1993, in spite of a strong competition interns on the right, against the candidate Meyer-Barthet ecologist with 55% of the voices to the 2nd Turn. In 1997, victim of a certain wear (he was elected since 1978), J.P Fuchs was beaten by a candidate various-right-hand side close to RPR, supported by the senator Haenel, Mr. Dumoulin, who obtained more than 58% of the voices to the 2nd Turn. Deposed of its mandate in 2000, this one could not be represented. In 2002 the district reaffirmed its anchoring on the right, the 2nd Turn opposing the mayor of Ribeauvillé (UMP) J.L Christ to a candidate various-right-hand side mayor of Eguisheim P. Hussherr. J.L. Christ carried it with more than 59% of the voices, only the canton of Wintzenheim preferred P. Hussherr to him.

The district thus is very clearly marked on the right, the left not having never been present at the 2nd Turn. However one notes a very strong establishment of movements ecologists, in particular in the cantons of Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg (held by ecologists). The 2nd District in addition privileged the non-gaullists candidatures. Except for Mr. Dumoulin, the Fuchs deputies and Christ come both from the democracy-Christian woman. The line is very largely established in the whole of the cantons, and carry out very important scores in the wine cantons of Kaysersberg, Wintzenheim and Ribeauvillé. She in addition holds the canton of Rouffach, Munster and Lapoutroie. The left does not have true stronghold. A long time the protesting canton of Holy-Marie-with-Mines (one of the only prisoners by the SFIO until in the Sixties) constituted a bastion of left in this district. The industrial crisis of the Money Valley however considerably weakened it with the profit of the extreme-right-hand side. In 1995 and 2002 J.M Le Pen carried out very important scores there and in 2004 the canton elected a regionalistic candidate of extreme-right-hand side, C.Chaton, following triangular.

At the time of the presidential election of 1988 J. Chirac obtained 55% of the voices to the second turn. In 1995 the district largely placed E. Balladur at the head (27,6%) in front of J.M. Le Pen (22,6%), J. Chirac (17%) and L. Jospin (14,6%). With the second tower it chose J. Chirac with more than 60% (61,7%). In 2002 J.M. Le Pen (22,1%) there arrived at the head in front of J. Chirac (18,4%), F. Bayrou (10,6%) and L. Jospin (8,8%). To note the good scores of NR. Mamère (6,4%), B. Mégret (5,6%) and A. Madelin (5,2%).

The domination of the right-hand side and the center-right in the district of Ribeauvillé did not suffer any dispute at the time of the presidential and legislative elections, NR. Sarkozy carrying out here the best results of a right-wing candidate since V. Giscard d'Estaing in 1974. The first ballot placed the UMP candidate indeed definitely at the head, with 37,2%, making more than to double the score of J. Chirac in 2002, and slightly exceeding its Alsatian average (36,2%). It was followed by the candidate UDF, F. Bayrou, which, obtaining its best score haut-rhinois 22,9%, also progressed him very clearly. The zones of force of the two candidates was rather largely recut, centered around the cantons of the vineyard of Ribeauvillé (41% for Sarkozy, 21,4% for Bayrou), Kaysersberg (39% for Sarkozy, 24% for Bayrou), Wintzenheim (38,8% for Sarkozy, 23,4% for Bayrou), like in Munster (36,8% for Sarkozy, 21,3% for Bayrou). Contrary the candidates UMP and UDF carried out weaker performances with Lapoutroie and Holy-Marie-With-Mines. Candidate FN, J-M Le Pen did not arrive any more but in third position, with 13,8% of the voices, losing nearly 10 points to the profit of NR. Sarkozy, even of F. Bayrou. He carried out his best performances, in retreat very Net, with Munster (16,1%) and Holy-Marie-With-Mines (16%). Lastly, the candidate PS, S. Royal, placed only fourth here, reaching 13,5%, in retreat on the score of L. Jospin in 1995. It reached 18,1% with Holy-Marie-With-Mines, but in addition of 12% with Ribeauvillé, Munster did not exceed and Kaysersberg. The second turn confirmed, even amplified, the domination of NR. Sarkozy in the district, this one profited indeed from a very good carryforward from voices FN and UDF on its name. It passed very close to the bar of the 70%, reaching 68,9%, bars that it exceeded in Ribeauvillé (74,4%) and Kaysersberg (71,7%) and approached in Munster and Wintzenheim (69%). It carried out weaker performances with Holy-Marie-With-Mines and Lapoutroie, but exceeded in these two cantons 60% of the voices, thus affirming a clear domination of the right-hand side.

The legislative elections of June did nothing but very largely confirm the tendencies expressed with the presidential election, the magnifying one even by allowing the election the first turn of outgoing deputy J-L Christ, mayor of Ribeauvillé. The " revanche" primary elections of the primary education of 2002 having opposed, inter alia, J-L Christ and T. Speitel turned in fact runs. The UMP deputy indeed obtained 54% of the voices to the first turn, exceeding the absolute majority in the whole of the cantons except for Holy-Marie-With-Mines. its scores varying of 66,8% with Ribeauvillé with 44,4% with Holy-Marie-With-Mines. Face this score very important of the outgoing deputy, the candidate Modem, however known enough and already candidate in 2002, T. Speitel carried out only one rather weak performance 11,1% of the voices, its scores varying of 7,6% with Rouffach with 17,4% with Kaysersberg. It suffered obviously from the absence of instruction given by F. Bayrou at the time of the between-two-turns, while at the same time a vast majority of the Alsatian UDF voters had referred to the second turn on NR. Sarkozy. The candidate PS, D. Rubrecht, carried out a weak but honourable score, 10,4%, her scores varying of 6,4% with Ribeauvillé with 13,2% with Holy-Marie-With-Mines. Lastly, if the FN confirmed its very strong erosion, not exceeding 5%, a candidate various-right-hand side, O. Glass, 5% exceeded, and realized a relative performance in the Vosgean cantons of Lapoutroie and Holy-Marie-With-Mines, thus confirming anchoring on the right district.

Therefore, the tendency electoral of the district do not leave not upset elections 2007. Quite to the contrary, the line having reinforced here its results, and that in a rather homogeneous way, the geographical differences persist however, but within the framework of a broad domination of the right parties and center-right. The cantons of the vineyard represent the strongest bastions of UMP and UDF, NR. Sarkozy exceeding there or passing very close to 70% there on May 6th, after excellent carryforwards of an electorate of center-right Christian-Democrat being carried on F. Bayrou to the first turn. If the UDF candidate knew found on April 22nd an important part of the traditional voters of the democracy-Christian woman, those did not follow its position " neither right-hand side, nor gauche" , and have on May 6th as well as on June 10th voted for the UMP candidates, confirming anchoring on the right district. The left remains very weak indeed here, even if it carries out better performances in the Vosgean cantons of Lapoutroie and Holy-Marie-With-Mines, often by phagocytant a former green electorate, those do not exceed 40% nowhere, and are registered in lower part of 30% in the vineyard. Its weakness was largely confirmed with legislative, the candidate PS arriving only at one very remote third place. Lastly, the major fact - here as in the remainder of Alsace - elections of 2007, remains the collapse of the FN, very largely engaged on April 22nd, and drastiquement confirmed on June 10th. Even in its stronghold of Holy-Marie-With-Mines, J-M Le Pen did not exceed 20%, and the performances carried out here remain weakest since 1984. This assêchement with the extreme-right-hand side mechanically very strongly the vote in favor of the traditional right parties reinforced.

History of the results

Of 1988 to 1997: Jean-Paul Fuchs - UDF, general adviser of Colmar.
From 6/1/1997 to 6/18/2002: Marc Dumoulin - connected RPR
Since the 6/9/2002: Jean-Louis Christ - UMP, mayor of Ribeauvillé.

Result of legislative of June 10th, 2007

Jean-Louis Christ (UMP) is re-elected as of the 1st turn with 54,06% of the expressed voters.

Many registered voters: 74.953
Voters: 43.109 (abstentions: 42.49%)
Expressed: 42.143 (white and null: 2,24%)

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