Geographical and sociological description

The seventh district of the Low-Rhine very mainly gathers the cantons of “Krummes Elsass” (Alsace Bossue) Protestant, but also the cantons very largely catholic of Saverne, Marmoutier and Hochfelden. Of this fact it is about the one of the districts having the strongest proportion of Protestant populations in France. This denominational distribution had a long time, and continues to have, of important political consequences.

It is made up of three cantons very largely Protestant:

• Canton of Bouxwiller

• Canton of Drulingen
• Canton of the Small-Pierre

Two “mixed” cantons confessionnellement:

• Canton of Hochfelden; the traditional distribution is of 2/3 catholic for 1/3 Protestant.

• Canton of Saar-Union; historically slightly catholic

Finally two cantons very largely catholic:

• Canton of Marmoutier

• Canton of Saverne

The seventh district is finally very dialectophone. According to certain studies it would be about the Alsatian area where the practice of the dialect remains most widespread today. Two forms of Alsatian dialect are present here, that of heritage francic and that of form more traditionally Germanic. Historically the practice of French remained very weak there until in the years 1950-1960, particularly in uneven Alsace.

Political description

District mainly Protestant and quasi-exclusivement dialectophone, the district of Saverne had been during the inter-war period a stronghold of the parties separatists, electing the chief of the “Fortschrittspartei” Alsatian Camille Dahlet into 1928,1932 and 1936. This last represented, in spite of its alliance with the Alsatian catholic party, a tendency of center-left separatist. It was also based on the strong denominational polarization of the votes in the district, opposing the minority catholic cantons to the Protestant cantons, which voted mainly for him.

The beginnings of the fifth republic was not basically to disturb this religious division. At the time of the elections of 1958, the MRP had invested - what appeared as a paradox because one regarded the MRP in Alsace as the heir to the catholic party - a Protestant of the country of Hanau, G.Kuntz, which was elected against a catholic independent candidate and the candidate gaullist A.Westphal. In 1962 the head office of Saverne was, like the whole of the Alsatian seats, carried by a candidate gaullist, A.Westphal, which was pressed on a solid establishment in the cantons of uneven Alsace. He was easily re-elected in 1967 and 1968, elections overall very favorable to the party gaullist in Alsace. Not being distinguished from the other districts of the department, the district of Saverne then granted “a Soviet” score, qualified by the nostalgic ones, of 84,2% with the De Gaulle general in 1965. By doing this, it showed its legitimism towards the outgoing president, like, more largely, the fidelity of the Alsatian populations to the person of De Gaulle.

In this context of very broad domination of the gaullists, which was pressed mainly on the Protestant cantons of uneven Alsace and Bouxwiller, the elections of 1973 caused a double shock. On the one hand the outgoing deputy was beaten by a candidate far from known then; the reformer Adrien Zeller, but moreover the district elected for the first time a catholic deputy. Adrien Zeller dominated in fact with Saverne, Marmoutier, Hochfelden and Saar-Union, Alsace Bossue renewing its confidence with A.Westphal. Quickly A.Zeller could consolidate its position, and was re-elected with the first turn in 1978 (57%), 1981 (72%), 1986 (by carrying out the UDF list), 1988 (53%) and 1993 (53%). Its political positioning evolved of a centrism very close to the center-left - A.Zeller was then qualified “hair-with-to scrape” Alsatian centrism - to a more traditional integration within the democracy-Christian woman and to the CDS. It was characterized also by a strong regionalistic will, which even led it to found a party, “Alsatian Initiatives”, of center-right, which made elect certain of its representatives (P.Richert or JJ.Weber) to the beginning of the year 1980. Adrien Zeller was then openly criticized by the gaullists, who could not however beat it in 1978, and supported it in 1981 and thereafter.

After having occupied of the responsibilities within the government Chirac II (1986-1988), A.Zeller failed in 1992 becoming president of the district council, posts to which he was however elected after the death of Marcel Rudloff in 1996. These new responsibilities, like its remarkable longevity, explain its setting in ballot by candidate FN Yvan Blot in 1997. A.Zeller was however re-elected with the second turn with more than 68%, on this occasion one noticed however that it did not exceed any more the absolute majority with the first turn but in the canton of Hochfelden. Following its re-election with the presidency of the district council in 1998, it chooses to resign of its station of deputy to devote itself to his Alsatian responsibilities. Its substitute Emile Blessig was elected of partial against Y.Blot, and was re-elected as of the first turn in 2002 (54,5%). He is in addition general adviser of Saverne.

Passed of the stronghold gaullist to the domination of the centrism and the center-right, the district of Saverne is very largely dominated by the line and the center-right, with however a strong importance of the extreme-right-hand side. Broadly the democracy-Christian woman holds the whole of the cantons, except for Saar-Union held by old RPR D.Lieb, and carries out her best scores with Marmoutier, Hochfelden and Saverne. Uneven Alsace grants however also very vast majorities, the canton of the Small-Pierre to him being held by the senator and chair general advice Philippe Richert. The left carried out very poor scores a long time, not succeeding in putting A.Zeller, whose profile very independent of the parties liked, in ballot in 1978,1981,1988 and 1993. In 1997 the left was absent from the second turn to the profit of the FN. In 2002 it could not prevented the re-election of E.Blessig to the first turn. It however carries out better scores with Saverne, but remains very weak in uneven Alsace and in the country of Hanau. The extreme-right-hand side, on the other hand, seemed the main adversary of the domination of the center-right, exceeding the left since 1988. It carries out very good scores in the country of Hanau, like in uneven Alsace, but also in the common Protestant women of the canton of Hochfelden. Its results are less in Marmoutier, but remain higher than the Alsatian average. The opposition between FN and Alsace initially is in addition very acute in the whole of the district, at the time of the regional ones of 2004 Alsace initially carried out its best score with Bouxwiller.

The national elections moreover marked one evolution towards the line of the district of Saverne. Like little French area, the district granted a better result to Valery Giscard d'Estaing in 1981 (70%) that in 1974 (66%). This increase was particularly appreciable in the Protestant cantons. In 1988, J.Chirac carried it with 52,8%, F.Mitterrand however beat it in part of uneven Alsace. Between 1988 and 1995 one noticed an important transfer of socialist votes towards J.M Le Pen. This one at the head placed all candidates in 1995 (28,8%) in front of E.Balladur (26,2%), J.Chirac (15,7%) and L.Jospin (12,8%). With the second turn J.Chirac exceeded 60% (60,4%). In 2002 J.M Le Pen arrived again at the head (25,3%) in front of J.Chirac (18,3%) and F.Bayrou (12,3%). L.Jospin realized there, as in 1995, one of its worse national results (8,7%).

At the time of the elections presidential and legislative of 2007, partially old nuances inside a still reinforced domination of the right parties and center-right reappeared. At the time of the first turn N.Sarkozy arrived at the head with 35,7% of the voices, clearly preceding F.Bayrou, which carried out here its best Alsatian score with 23,7%, J-M Le Pen reached to him also her best regional performance, with 16,2% of the voices, finally S.Royal collected only 12,3% of the voices, one of its worse national results. The UMP candidate carried out a series of contrasted results, exceeding 40% with Hochfelden, 35% with Saverne, Marmoutier and Drulingen, but was located nearly 30% at The-Small-Pierre and Bouxwiller. The UDF candidate found the traditional chart of the democracy-Christian woman in this district, exceeding 25% with Saverne and Hochfelden, passing very close to them in Marmoutier, finally it carried out very a good score in the country of Hanau, with 25%, its results remained weaker in Alsace Bossue. The candidate FN, who showed a fall of 9 points very appreciably obtained by N.Sarkozy and F.Bayrou, exceeded all the same still 20% with The-Small-Pierre, and passing very close to this bar as well in Alsace Bossue as in the Country of Hanau, although it was far from his preceding results. Finally the candidate PS did not exceed the bar of the 15% in any canton, carrying out scores inféreieurs to 12% in Alsace Bossue. The second turn was to confirm the expressed tendencies on April 22nd, N.Sarkozy carrying it with more than 70% (70,1%), largely exceeding this bar with Drulingen, Saar-Union, Marmoutier, Hochfelden, approaching some in Saverne and The-Small-Pierre. He had incontestably profited from a very good carryforward from the voters from F.Bayrou and J-M Le Pen on his name.

With the image of a massively on the right anchored district was to be added the prolongation of the confrontation between the line and the center-right at the time of the legislative elections of June. The majority of the observers agreed indeed to envisage a duel of second turn between the two old “foalta” of A.Zeller, the outgoing deputy UMP E.Blessig, general adviser of Saverne, and the mayor of the chief town, T.Carbiener (Modem), whose support for F.Bayrou had without doubts have a certain influence at the time of the presidential one. The duel turned short, with surprised of much, with the re-election as of the first turn of E.Blessig, which obtained more than 60% of the voices and still improved its score of 2002. The mayor of Saverne placed himself in remote a second place, obtaining only 14% of the voices, largely preceded in the whole of the cantons and on his city. The candidate PS and candidate FN carried out comparable and weak scores, a little more than 6%.

At the conclusion of these elections, the district clearly positioned on the right, making it possible N.Sarkozy to carry out here one of its best national scores to the second turn. Here, like elsewhere in Alsace, as well the UDF electorate, as that of the FN, easily referred on the right-wing candidate. The orientation of autonomy of the center severely was in addition sanctioned by the voters, the Modem candidate however established carrying out only one score in withdrawal of 10 points of that of F.Bayrou, and not profiting more from the good scores of the presidential one. Contrary E.Blessig knew to profit as of the first considerable turn on the one hand of voice FN and UDF, which enabled him to exceed 60%. The electoral map of the district changes little, but in fact the variations grew hollow with the profit of the right-hand side. This one dominates with more than 70% with presidential in the Catholic South (Marmoutier, Hochfelden), but also in Alsace Bossue and in Bouxwiller. The vote for the outgoing deputy accentuates his local establishment somewhat, shifting this one towards Saverne. Contrary the left realizes here among its worse national performances, as well with presidential as with the legislative ones, and does not have real point of force. The FN resisted better here than in the remainder of Alsace, but it started from higher, and its establishment does not exceed any more 20% that in only one canton, in addition its fall developed at the time of the legislative ones.

History of the Elections

• Following its re-election with the head of the district council of Alsace in March 1998, Adrien Zeller resigned of its station of deputy. Emile Blessig was elected at the time of the by-election organized to provide the vacant seat.