Paris (AFP)
"It is absolutely not on the agenda to postpone the municipal elections" because of the coronavirus crisis, the government spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
"We do not consider that the health situation would justify at this stage" to postpone the poll of March 15 and 22, said Sibeth Ndiaye after the Council of Ministers, largely devoted to the health crisis.
She indicated that the minister in charge of territorial communities Sébastien Lecornu, as well as his minister responsible Jacqueline Gourault, were going "to meet in the very next days" associations of local elected representatives, including that of the mayors of France (AMF), for " exchange on this subject ".
On election day, "fairly simple precautions" and "common sense" could be taken at polling stations, to prevent voters from "sticking to each other in a queue", and using hydro-alcoholic gel hand washing techniques, she added.
Sibeth Ndiaye stressed that these elections were "an important moment in the democratic life of our country, so we in no way intend to deprive our compatriots of them".
Nearly 47.7 million people are registered on the electoral lists on the eve of the election and are therefore required to travel on Sundays of the 1st and 2nd rounds to appoint the approximately 500,000 municipal councilors.
For the time being, the campaign is mainly disrupted by instructions recommending limiting physical contact, such as shaking hands.
© 2020 AFP