At the approach of municipal elections, social networks are becoming essential tools for political communication. They offer candidates direct visibility to voters, but also expose public debate to risks of manipulation and excesses.
A few months ago, Deputy Jacques Oberti organized a symposium at the National Assembly on this topic, and then participated in a round table during the territorial days of the mayors association of Haute-Garonne.
“More and more, local campaigns are also played out on the Internet. Even in small towns, where it was unexpected, social networks can influence public opinion. Support groups, for example, can quickly turn into criticism or rumors. I wanted to alert mayors and candidates to the need to be vigilant and define clear rules,” explains the former president of the AMF31.
In electoral law, defamatory remarks or denigrating campaigns disseminated online, if they affect the sincerity of the vote, can lead the administrative judge to cancel an election. Many are unaware that they are legally responsible for their publications, even under a pseudonym. Several mayors in Haute-Garonne report similar situations as the election approaches.
“We are blacklisted from two Facebook groups administered by a member and a candidate from the opposition. On one, our posts are immediately deleted after being published. On the other, they remain visible for 24 hours before being erased,” testifies Philippe Guyot, mayor of Plaisance-du-Touch.
“In Blagnac, Mayor Joseph Carles claims to observe social networks from a distance. He distinguishes legitimate criticism, inherent in democratic debate, from personal attacks facilitated by online anonymity. ‘You can insult everyone while hiding behind a pseudonym. When you do a lot of things like in Blagnac, you have to expose yourself to criticism, that’s democracy, but insulting is not acceptable.'”
Guillaume, administrator of a Facebook page in Pibrac, has chosen a clear line: banning any political content, a decision motivated by past experiences of conflicts. “Some have tried and the discussions immediately escalated. I was called a Stalinist dictator when I deleted them.”
