Being in the International Space Station didn’t stop Astronaut Thomas Pesquet from voting in the second round of the French Presidential election this Sunday. The ESA astronaut didn’t reveal which candidate he was supporting, but he wanted to remind people to vote for their preferred candidate.
This Sunday, France voted for his new President, choosing between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. It was known that Macron, 39, was elected president with 65.5 percent of the votes. However, at 5 p.m. in France, the total participation of the population was considered to be 60 percent, down by 6 points if compared to the previous presidential election in 2012.
Image credit: Neel V. Patel / Space Travel / Inverse
“We must not judge candidates on the color of their tie but really on what they propose and what they will do.” Said Pesquet
Pesquet wants to remind French people that they should vote to choose their leaders
Thomas Pesquet is the youngest ESA Astronaut to go in a mission on the ISS. Even though he was up there, about 400 kilometers away from his country, he wasn’t going to renounce his right to participate in the important French presidential elections this Sunday.
In 2001, Pesquet received his master degree from École Nationale Cupérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace in Toulouse, France. He studied space systems and space vehicle mechanics. In 2006, Pesquet graduated from the Air France Flight School. He also went to Montreal, Canada, as an exchange student for a Master in Aeronautics and Space. He currently lives in Frankfurt, Germany. He has been there at the International Space Station since 19 November as a crew member of the Expedition 50 and Expedition 51. After his six-month mission, he will come back to Earth.
To vote is more than a right, it’s a responsibility
Pesquet said that he gave powers of attorney to his colleague for voting so that he could vote on his behalf. He didn’t want to say if he voted for Le Pen or Macron; however, he did say that the world needs bridges, not walls. He said that being able to vote in such difficult conditions, must send the message to French citizens that they have to exercise their right to vote and decide for their future, no matter what.
“I think it’s important to open up and understand that the world is done with others, not against others, that we need more bridges than walls,” said Mr. Pesquet.
For him, voting is also a responsibility, so even though he was far away from his country, he felt responsible for this important decision. This presidential election was really important because of the profound differences and antagonistic proposals between the two candidates. Pesquet said he was following the presidential campaign from the space, thanks to news and to his conversation with family and his girlfriends. In space, they can stay in touch with everything that is going on on Earth thanks to the technology.
It was recently announced that Emmanuel Macron was the new President of France.
