Why identity matters in French elections

Candidate with the hijab is no longer backed by President Macron’s ruling party and is now running as an independentFrench local election candidate Sara Zemmahi in the La Mosson market in Montpellier, France, on June 5 2021. Picture: REUTERS/YIMING WOO

The affair erupted after the far-right seized upon the image as proof Macron was weak on protecting France’s secular values, and propelled Zemmahi into a national row over identity. “This is my neighbourhood, I was born here,” she said. “The headscarf wasn’t an issue for the four of us.”Zemmahi’s campaign photo split Macron’s LaRem party, reflecting deep divisions over how secular laws should be applied, notably after Islam emerged as the country’s second-biggest religion behind Catholicism.

Zemmahi is not dogmatic about her headscarf. She often removes it at her laboratory for hygiene reasons. Zemmahi’s fellow candidates said the campaign photo was meant to illustrate how they reflected the local demographic.

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