Overview
- Cem Yoldas, a 29-year-old NPA-backed mayoral candidate, released campaign leaflets in French, Alsatian, Turkish and Arabic to reach residents in a multicultural city.
- Right-wing figures escalated criticism, with RN deputy Alexandra Masson rebuking the move, activist Damien Rieu invoking “Strasbouristan,” and LR’s Laurent Wauquiez stressing that French is the Republic’s language.
- Local reactions reported on Wednesday showed a divided public, with some Strasbourg residents calling the multilingual push inclusive and others seeing it as provocation or community-based politics.
- Past guidance from the Constitutional Council in 2007 and Interior Ministry practice indicates translations are permissible so long as the French text is the authoritative version and equivalents are strict.
- The leaflet highlights a far-left platform including free public transport, rent limits, free school meals and disarming municipal police, and it features a QR code directing voters to registration information.