- The first round of municipal elections was held on March 15, in the midst of a health crisis linked to the coronavirus.
- The Council of State indicated to 20 Minutes that according to its tally, on April 5, there were 2,700 appeals lodged before the administrative courts to ask for the cancellation of the results of the poll.
- Some complainants believe that the results are "insincere", due to the epidemic context which dissuaded voters from traveling.
Will the results of the first round of the municipal elections be canceled? In the context of the health crisis, some deplore the holding of the poll and believe that the coronavirus epidemic has affected the abstention and the scores of the candidates. There are 2,700 legal appeals in electoral disputes over the March 15 vote, learned 20 minutes this Thursday from the Council of State, according to a count on April 5.
The highest administrative court centralizes the reports from the country's administrative courts, to which electoral disputes can be filed. Normally, any citizen can contest an election within five days of the election, but this deadline was extended by ordinance on March 25, in the context of the health crisis. Appeals for the March 15 ballot may be filed up to five days after "the date on which the municipal and community councilors elected this turn take office". However, this date has not yet been set.
"A sham" of election
In the first round of municipal elections, around 30,000 mayors were elected (out of a total of 35,000 municipalities), having passed the threshold of 50% of the votes cast. However, several candidates and local elected representatives have filed legal appeals to request the cancellation of the results. This is the case of Renaud George, LREM mayor leaving the village of Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d'Or, in the Rhône. “This first round was a sham. We prevented people from going to vote, we stole this election from them, ”he believes. Laurent Jaoul, outgoing mayor of Saint-Brès (Hérault), re-elected on March 15, has also filed an appeal and denounces to 20 Minutes the problem of "sincerity" of the ballot.
It will be up to the administrative judges to rule for each municipality that is the subject of an appeal. They can correct the results or cancel the election, which would lead to a new poll.
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