Seventh district of Haut-Rhin

Geographical and sociological description

The 7th district of Haut-Rhin consists of four cantons:

Largely catholic district, and that in the whole of the cantons. The share of the Protestant populations is here one of weakest of Alsace, very definitely lower even than its Haut-Rhinois level. This being the direct resultant of the religious peaces established in 1555 and 1648, conferring these territories on “catholic powers”. No commune of the district can be regarded as tradition or mainly Protestant woman.

District entirely dialectophone, the practice of the French remained weak there, in particular in the canton of Ensisheim, until the years 1950-1960. The practice of Alsatian remains very developed in addition there, in particular in the most rural communes but also in Guebwiller or Ensisheim. A majority of the population states to include/understand and speak the Alsatian one.

Political description

The district of Guebwiller had been dominated, with the image of the majority of the districts of Haut-Rhin, by catholic party Alsatian UPR between 1919 and 1939, this one having to face a certain competition come at the same time from the Socialists, then established well with Guebwiller, and populist movement “Bauernbund”. The UPR however held the seat without interruptions during all the inter-war period, being represented here by the most social wing of the movement.

Here as in the majority of the districts of Haut-Rhin, this domination of the democracy-Christian woman was maintained during IVe republic through the important results carried out by the MRP, in particular in 1946 and 1956. One in addition noted a leaning fort for the gaullism, which represented as from 1951, the mayor of Pulversheim Georges Bourgeois. The elections of 1958 supported in fact the party gaullist and the personal domination of G. Middle-class on the district. Middle-class man was elected easily in 1958, re-elected with the first turn in 1962,1967 and 1968. In parallel the deputy asserted himself like the “strong man” of the department, while occupying as from 1958, the presidency of the general advice, which it was to preserve until 1973.

The district of Guebwiller was not however to escape the increase generalized from the democracy-Christian woman, started after 1969, like with pushed PS. So at the time of the legislative elections of 1973, G. Middle-class rather easily preserved its seat at the second turn, it undergoes a few months later a failure shingling at the time of the cantonal elections with Ensisheim, where it was beaten by the candidate Christian-Democrat E. Spiess. Therefore, the presidency of the general advice escaped to him, and returned with the CDS Henri Goetschy, which had been its unhappy adversary in 1967. This series of failure led G. Middle-class not to be represented in 1978. The RPR candidate and mayor of Guebwiller, Charles Haby, succeed in carrying the primary elections against his adversaries of UDF, then to triumph over the candidate PS to the second turn. He was re-elected easily in 1981, but one noted a progression of the PS in the context of “vague the successive pink” to the election of F. Mitterrand. C. Haby was represented in 1986, the district knowing then, consequence of the poll proportional departmental, an absence of local representation, no elected official not having elective fasteners there.

Unstable and heterogeneous district, rather rural around the cantons of Soultz and Ensisheim, definitely more urban in the canton of Cernay, the 7th district was characterized since 1988 by a “waltz” of the deputies. In 1988 she had elected the mayor of Thann (however located in the 3rd district) J.P Baeumler (PS) against the mayor of Guebwiller and former deputy C. Haby (RPR) with 52%. At the time of the “blue wave” of 1993 right-wing Mr. Habig, the mayor candidate of Ensisheim and president of the FDSEA 68, had carried it against the outgoing deputy with 52%. In 1997 the candidate of PS J.P Baeumler (43%) had taken his revenge by beating Mr. Habig (38%) at the time of triangular with the candidate of the FN (19%). At the time of last elections J.P Baeumler was beaten however again by the new right-wing candidate Mr. Sordi (UMP), mayor of Cernay, which carried out 53,7% of the voices.

The district has in fact a political heterogeneity some. The cantons of Guebwiller and Ensisheim leans more definitely on the right than those of Soultz and Cernay. However the whole of the cantons of the district had chosen J.P Baeumler in 1997, as they chose in Mr. Sordi in 2002. The left is established in the canton of Soultz, held by an general adviser various left ex-PS. The line is it established well in the canton of Guebwiller and that of Ensisheim, it profits especially from a good network of town councilors in the whole of the district. The FN carries out very good scores at the time of the presidential elections, profiting from the problems of employment in the old potassic basin. It is very in particular well established in the canton of Cernay, in the past very marked on the left, where it exceeded 30% in 1995 and 2002 (For 2002 Pen+Mégret).

At the time of the presidential election of 1988 the district had chosen F. Mitterrand with a very vast majority (59,8%). In 1995, it had placed J.M Le Pen definitely at the head (27,4%), in front of E. Balladur (19,7%), L. Jospin (19,5%) and J. Chirac (14,2%). With the 2nd tower it had been the only Alsatian district to choose L. Jospin (51,2%), in noticeable decrease compared to the Mitterrand score of 1988. In 2002 it again placed J.M Le Pen at the head (25,5%) in front of J. Chirac (14,7%) and L. Jospin (11,7%).

The elections presidential and legislative of 2007 marked a strong progression of the right-wing candidates in the district, before rather unstable, thus reinforcing the advance of the right-hand side here. The first turn of the presidential election marked the first stage of this progression, NR. Sarkozy arrived at the head with 32,1% of the voices, making more than to double the score of J. Chirac in 2002 and approaching the result of V. Giscard d'Estaing in 1974. It exceeded 30% in the whole of the cantons, in addition obtaining scores rather close in the four cantons going to 30,6% with Guebwiller with 33,1% with Ensisheim. It is the UDF candidate, F. Bayrou, which arrived in second position, with 19,3% of the voices, making more than to double its score of 2002, exceeding 21% with Guebwiller and approaching the bar of the 20% with Soultz, it was weaker in Cernay and Ensisheim. The performance from S. Royal, 17,8% of the voices, was in withdrawal of the score of L. Jospin in 1995 and marked the fall of the left in the old potassic basin which had been relatively favorable to him in 1981. It did not exceed 19% in any canton, falling even to 16,2% with Ensisheim. The large one overcome remained however J-M Le Pen, which, after having carried out very important scores in the district, lost nearly 10 points compared to 2002 and any more the bar of the 20% did not exceed, it obtained indeed only 16,2% and did not exceed 17% in any canton. The fall of the extreme right-hand side, in withdrawal of almost 15 points compared to 2002, profited, here as in the remainder of the district, with NR. Sarkozy and, to a lesser extent, with F. Bayrou. The second still amplified the tendencies of the first, NR. Sarkozy obtaining in the district the best score of a right-wing candidate since V. Giscard d'Estaing in 1974. With 62,7% it was not very far from its regional average, in a district which had voted on the left with presidential of 1988 and 1995, exceeded 65% with Ensisheim, 62% with Cernay and Soultz, old canton marked on the left, and passed very close to 60% with Guebwiller. The UMP candidate had profited from excellent carryforwards from the UDF voices and FN, not following the instructions of F. Bayrou and J-M Le Pen. He in addition carried it largely in the whole of the communes of the district. S. Royal, by obtaining only 37,3% of the voices, marked a Net backward flow of the left in the district, whereas L. Jospin had preceded J. Chirac in 1995, and lost ground in the whole of the cantons, it exceeded 40% only with Guebwiller and its scores in very on the left marked communes formerly, like Wittelsheim or Staffelfelden, were particularly weak.

The legislative elections marked a new stage in this reinforcement of the anchoring on the right of the district, by allowing the broad re-election as of the first turn of the deputy leaving and mayor Cernay, Mr. Sordi (UMP). This one obtained, with 54,2%, a better result with the first turn than its score of second turn in 2002. It exceeded the absolute majority in the whole of the cantons, except for Guebwiller (48%), exceeding 57% with Cernay, 54% with Ensisheim and 53% with Soultz. It was placed at the head in the totality of the communes. Its progression took place with the detriment of the FN, but also of the left, whose candidate, Mr. Hoffarth, carried out the worst result since the years 1970, with only 14,7%, losing more half of the voices obtained by J-P Baeumler in 2002. Its scores varied from 12,4% with Cernay with 16,1% with Soultz. It is true that it had been partially weakened by the success of the green mayor of Wattwiller, J. Muller, which obtained 7,9% and passed very close to the 10% with Cernay, but that is not enough to explain the weakness of the PS. The Modem candidate obtained 7,8%, passing very close to 12% with Guebwiller. A very great part of the voters of F. Bayrou had however chosen to vote for the outgoing deputy as of the first turn, disapproving the position of this one at the time of the second turn of the presidential election. Finally the FN did not continue its fall, not obtaining any more but 6,9% of the voices, and exceeding 10% in no canton.

The expiries of 2007 thus made some modifications, marked by a strong reinforcement of the right-hand side all at the same time with the detriment of the FN and left. The electoral geography of the district is thus marked by an important progression of the right-hand side in all the cantons: Ensisheim remains more marked on the right, granting more than 65% to NR. Sarkozy with the second turn, Cernay knows a very strong progression of the UMP candidates, as well NR. Sarkozy as Mr. Sordi, just like Soultz and Guebwiller. That the UMP candidate obtained more than 60% in all the cantons mark also a strong fall of the left here, whereas Cernay and Soultz appeared still in 1988 like very marked on the left. This one strongly regresses with the second turn, profiting more fulcrums in no commune. Its fall had started in 1995 with the profit of J-M Le Pen, but a majority of voters FN had then voted for L. Jospin. In 2007 a broad part of these voters went, if it is not with the first turn at least with the second, on NR. Sarkozy ensuring a very vast majority to him. Symbol of this failure, the commune of Wittelsheim, old stronghold of left marked by a strong vote FN as from 1995, very largely decided for NR. Sarkozy, then Mr. Sordi, in 2007. Another mark of this progression of the right-hand side and the center-right, the second place obtained by F. Bayrou was however not confirmed with the legislative ones. A vast majority of the UDF voters, here as in the remainder of Alsace, chose to vote for NR. Sarkozy with the second turn, because being located clearly at the center-right, and voted for Mr. Sordi with the legislative ones. Lastly, the fall of the FN, in certain places vertiginous, largely profited with NR. Sarkozy with the two towers from presidential, then with Mr. Sordi with the legislative ones.

History of the results

Of 1958 to 1978: Middle-class Georges - UNR; UDVe; UDR; RPR, mayor of Pulversheim, president of the general advice (until 1973).
Of 1978 to 1986: Charles Haby - RPR, mayor and general adviser of Guebwiller.
Of 1986 to 1988: Consequence of proportional, the district was found without representative really established.
Of 1988 to 1993: Jean-Pierre Baeumler - PS, mayor of Thann, regional adviser.
From 3/28/1993 to 4/21/1997: Michel Habig - RPR, mayor and general adviser of Ensisheim.
From 6/1/1997 to 6/18/2002: Jean-Pierre Baeumler - PS, mayor of Thann.
Since the 6/9/2002: Michel Sordi - UMP, mayor of Cernay.

Result of legislative of June 10th, 2007

Michel Sordi (UMP) is re-elected as of the 1st turn with 54.27% of the expressed voters.

Many registered voters: 77.078
Voters: 43.123 (abstentions: 44.05%)
Expressed: 42.206 (white and null: 2.13%)

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