At the approach of municipal elections, social networks are becoming essential tools for political communication. They offer candidates direct visibility with 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 participated in a round table discussion during the territorial days of the Association of Mayors of Haute-Garonne.
“More and more, local campaigns are also being played out on the Internet. Even in small municipalities, where it wasn’t expected, 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 establish clear rules,” explains the former president of AMF31.
While institutional attention often focuses on larger cities, small municipalities are equally vulnerable. “Some mayors in Haute-Garonne have told me about their surprise at attacks or criticisms that have emerged on local Facebook groups. They are discovering that residents prefer to express themselves online rather than in person. And these spaces are not always regulated.”
In electoral law, defamatory statements or campaigns of denigration spread online, if they distort the sincerity of the vote, can lead to the administrative judge annulling 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 run by a member and a candidate from the opposition. In one, our posts are immediately deleted after being published. In the other, they remain visible for 24 hours before being removed,” testifies Philippe Guyot, mayor of Plaisance-du-Touch.
“In Blagnac, Mayor Joseph Carles states that he observes social networks with ‘distance.’ He distinguishes legitimate criticism, inherent to democratic debate, from personal attacks facilitated by online anonymity. ‘You can insult anyone 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 others is not acceptable.’
Guillaume, administrator of a Facebook page in Pibrac, has chosen a clear line: to ban any politically charged posts, a decision motivated by past experiences of conflict. ‘Some have tried and the discussions immediately turned sour. I was called a Stalinist dictator when I deleted them.'”
