Misreported
On Sunday April 23rd, several Facebook pages and Twitter accounts discussed the fact that Marine Le Pen’s posters were absent from French overseas polling stations. They claimed it was the French government’s decision. This absence is actually due to the fact that the Front National party did not provide them in time.
https://twitter.com/samyfaridi/status/855891465532321793
(Translation: “To not display the posters of a candidate in a national election is an infraction of the electoral code, will @MLP_officiel contest this?“)
« A real state affair, French people living abroad voting this Saturday have no opportunity to see National Front’s Marine Le Pen’s poster. I would be surprised if the candidate had not sent the posters, it has to come from higher up in the government, it’s a scheme! » claimed the website ‘France’s patriots’.
On Twitter, many voters were surprised they did not see the Front National candidate’s posters. Websites Fdesouche and Dreuz also spread the news.
💣Pourquoi l'affiche de #Marine n'est elle pas arrivée dans les bureaux de vote à l'étranger?
Ce serait une cause d'annulation des élections! pic.twitter.com/B3xbNLTldF— Adrenaline ✞ 🇫🇷 (@adrenaline1001) April 23, 2017
The absence of Marine Le Pen’s posters in overseas polling stations is due to the Front National having forgotten to send them in time. «The posters are printed by the candidates themselves and they have to deliver them to the electoral commission before the deadline which was Monday April 10th », explained the Foreign Affairs Ministry to AFP. They added « Due to Marine Le Pen’s poster not having been provided, her board will remain blank. »
