The Constitutional Council invalidated on Friday February 3 the election in June 2022 of deputy Meyer Habib, related to the group Les Républicains (LR), in the 8th constituency of French people living abroad (which brings together eight countries, including Israel, Italy , Turkey and Greece), alleging “irregularities and maneuvers likely to alter the sincerity of the vote”. A new ballot must therefore be organized within three months.
The Constitutional Council noted that “sympathizers of Mr. Habib had, in disregard of the provisions of Article L. 49 of the electoral code, broadcast on the day of the second round of voting on various social networks messages calling on them to vote for this candidate. “. “The authors of some of these messages claimed to be elected municipal officials in Israel or presented themselves as relaying voting instructions from religious authorities”, which is likely “to have influenced the vote of a significant number voters,” he said in a statement.
It also notes that “Mr. Habib had set up hotlines and help centers mobilizing a significant number of operators for voters encountering difficulties in voting electronically” and that during these appeals, “voters may have been improperly offered to vote over the Internet on their behalf.”
Deborah Abisror-de Lieme, who had been a candidate (Renaissance) in June against Mr. Habib, welcomed the cancellation of the election, saying that “the highest French court puts an end to years of illicit maneuvers “.
Investigation for “embezzlement of public funds”
Meyer Habib is also being investigated for “embezzlement of public funds”, following a report from Tracfin. Investigators suspect irregularities in the remuneration of his parliamentary collaborators. Close to Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, he sat in the UDI group during the previous legislature.
The Constitutional Council, which is responsible for electoral disputes, on the other hand, rejected another appeal which concerned the 11th district of Yvelines, thus confirming the election of the deputy La France insoumise (LFI) William Martinet. These two decisions put an end to the examination by the Constitutional Council of the appeals lodged against the results of the legislative elections of June 2022. In total, it will have pronounced seven cancellations, one less than in 2017.
On January 27, he canceled the election of Bénédicte Taurine (LFI) in Ariège and, on January 20, those of Eléonore Caroit (Renaissance) in the 2nd constituency of French people living outside France (Latin America), and of Karim Ben Cheïkh (Nupes), in the 9th constituency of the French outside France (Maghreb and West Africa). Three elections had already been invalidated at the beginning of December, which had caused partial legislative elections in January.
