Paris (AFP)
Unprecedented municipal elections that even almost ended up being canceled: nothing went as planned in this campaign, which started in the midst of a protest against the pension reform, before being
"It's a funny campaign," said Anne Hidalgo, the outgoing mayor (PS) of Paris, sorry to no longer be able to "shake hands or kiss" the voters crossed on a market in early March.
In fact, Thursday evening, after a crazy day of rumors, Emmanuel Macron maintained the first round of Sunday despite the global coronavirus pandemic. He decided to brave "the most important health crisis that France has known in a century" to ensure "continuity of institutions".
- Pensions are overshadowing -
Two months earlier, it was in a heavy social climate that the candidates were trying to make themselves known to voters. With great difficulty, the pension reform saturates the media and political life. The attention of the French is monopolized by the record strike in public transport, which from December 5 to January 19, knows 47 days of mobilization before a return to almost normal traffic.
This entry into the campaign is particularly harsh for the majority candidates, for whom the pension file "pollutes the municipal authorities". "We do with it, it's like that. We act on the disagreements and then we talk about the rest," tries to positively Sonia Krimi, candidate in Cherbourg.
In Le Havre, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe entered the campaign at the very end of January under the boos of a few hundred demonstrators behind a "Red with anger" banner.
Throughout the month of February, the campaign failed to take off, all eyes being focused on the showdown at the Assembly, where Insubmissives and Communists drowned the debate on pensions under thousands of amendments. Edouard Philippe ends up drawing on article 29.3 of the Constitution on February 29, which allows the text to be passed without a vote.
Right and left then tabled motions of censorship, rejected without surprise on March 3, and the rebels called to "crush" LREM at the municipal level, making the ballot "a motion of citizen censorship".
- Major setbacks -
At the Elysée Palace, Emmanuel Macron promises to keep his distance from a "local" ballot from which he does not intend to draw "national lessons".
However, he intervened on January 26 to try to convince dissident Cédric Villani to give up his candidacy in Paris.
The ace. Barely out of his interview, the medalist Fields maintains his candidacy in a brave statement. He was excluded from LREM in the process.
Three days later, Emmanuel Macron was more successful: he convinced two ministers, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and Didier Guillaume, to retire to Biarritz where they were competitors. Finally ten members of the government are trying their chances for this election.
New shock for the majority in mid-February: Benjamin Griveaux, his candidate in Paris, announces to AFP to give up after the broadcasting of a sexual video. He was replaced at short notice by Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn, who resigned when the coronavirus struck China.
- The virus prevails -
The swelling epidemic will strike a new blow in the countryside. At the same time by monopolizing all the attention of the French and by disturbing the exits of the candidates. Many meetings are canceled or take place with reduced attendance.
For many mayors in the running, managing the crisis takes precedence over the campaign. "I simply felt that by being outgoing mayor, I had to devote myself to it", explains the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi (LR).
What will be the impact of this health crisis on the ballot? Like many political leaders, Marine Le Pen (LR) expressed the "fear" of a strong abstention because "anxiety, fear can push people to give up going to vote". Especially the elderly, called by Emmanuel Macron to avoid going out of their homes. Edouard Philippe wanted to be reassuring Friday on the holding of the 2nd round.
In an attempt to reassure voters, a series of measures were put in place at the polling stations: a hand washing point and hydro-alcoholic gel at the entrance and at the exit, voting booths arranged so that you don't have to draw the curtains, you can bring your own pen ...
bur-adc-jri / ib / cb
© 2020 AFP