While the second round has been postponed to June, it is important "to have operational municipal teams to manage the coronavirus crisis," government spokesman Sibeth Ndiaye said on Thursday, arguing for the election of municipal executives at the weekend.
Because of the risks incurred in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic, some mayors, elected in the first round of municipal elections, asked on Wednesday to postpone the installation of new municipal councils, scheduled from Friday to Sunday.
“Closed” elections
"Municipalities will be at the forefront of administrations that will have to support our fellow citizens, especially the most fragile," recalled on Franceinfo TV Sibeth Ndiaye. And for this reason, "it is important that the new executives can get under way", and this must be done "under conditions of optimal health security," she said.
Even if it takes place "behind closed doors", it is "an important democratic moment which will allow operational municipal teams to manage the coronavirus crisis also at their level", added Sibeth Ndiaye. "We can go to work as we can exercise the democratic right to elect a mayor as long as we respect the sanitary measures," she insisted.
A boycott call
The municipal councils are complete in more than 30,000 municipalities after the first round on March 15 and must meet, behind closed doors, at the end of the week to elect the mayor. To limit the number of people at the meeting of municipal councils, councilors who are unable to attend or in a “at risk” category (65% of outgoing mayors are aged 60 and over) may give a proxy to any member of the council to vote on their behalf.
Our file on municipal
Among others, in an open letter, six elected officials from Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu (9,000 inhabitants) near Nantes call on all the councilors elected on Sunday to boycott this first council “to protect their health and that of their loved ones "
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- Sibeth Ndiaye