- Despite the government's incentives to vote, the municipal ballot was marked by record abstention.
- Several opposition members asked for a postponement of the second round.
- The executive should consult scientific experts at the start of the week to decide on the organization of the second ballot next Sunday.
It is "important to vote at these times". Emmanuel Macron has tried to encourage the French to go to the polls this Sunday from Le Touquet (Pas-de-Calais), where the President of the Republic is registered on the electoral lists. But the context of the coronavirus pandemic seems to have prevailed over the democratic meeting. With a record abstention for the first round of municipal elections this Sunday evening, between 53.5 and 56%, his appeal was not heard by voters.
The executive finds itself under pressure after having chosen to maintain this first round despite the health context. Several opposition officials have already asked for the postponement of the second round. The executive will only have a few days to decide while the epidemic is growing on French territory.
The health emergency takes the place of the political
This Saturday evening, Edouard Philippe announced the closure "until further notice" of all "places receiving the public not essential to the life of the country", calling on the French to "more discipline". But the Prime Minister maintained at the same time the election for the 47.7 million people called to choose their mayor.
If, two days earlier, the right and the left called on the head of state to maintain the first round, the intervention of the Prime Minister signaled the end of the consensus. In the process, calls from the political world, including six regional presidents, but also health officials, multiplied for a postponement, to no avail.
With a low turnout, the government's bet is partly missed. The historically high figures for abstention this Sunday exceed by almost 20 points the previous record of 2014 (36.45% of abstention). And on the sets as in their interventions at the end of the first round, the political leaders preferred to express themselves on the urgency of the health crisis rather than to comment on the results of their political formations.
"One day, the balance sheet will have to be drawn from the decisions made by the president, and those that were not taken," warned Marine Le Pen. Mentioning "a health war", the president of the National Rally called for the postponement of the second round, scheduled for next Sunday. A request also made by many members of the opposition, from the deputy leader LR Damien Abad to the EELV MEP Yannick Jadot. "If the government decides to confine and postpone the second round, it must do so as soon as possible," also launched the boss of the rebels Jean-Luc Mélenchon, joined on this point by the First Secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure.
Towards a postponement of the elections?
The majority once again justified maintaining the first round by saying that they had referred to the opinion of health officials. "We didn't make a decision like that, spontaneously. We were reinforced by the advice of the scientific council ”, defended Olivier Véran. The Minister of Health will hold a press conference on Monday with some of the council members "to explain" this decision.
But with the acceleration of the spread of the virus (127 dead and 5,423 cases confirmed this Sunday evening) and the hypothesis of an upcoming confinement of the country, a strong question now weighs on the possibility of concluding the poll next Sunday. "The high rate of abstention that we record reflects the growing concern of our fellow citizens in the face of the epidemic that strikes us," agreed Edouard Philippe from Le Havre.
"It is by taking into account the opinion of the health authorities that we will organize ourselves for the second round," added the Prime Minister, indicating that he wanted to consult the scientific committee and political forces in "complete transparency". The decision to maintain or not the poll should be taken Tuesday by the executive.
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- Municipal
- Elections
- Abstention
- Emmanuel Macron
- Participation
- Vote