Paris (AFP)

The government is moving towards a new postponement to the fall of the second round of municipal elections, which the mayors wish to see organized as soon as possible to allow the municipalities to play their full role in the economic recovery after the crisis sanitary.

The executive and elected officials also agree to the establishment at the beginning of June of municipal councils elected in the first round, on March 15, in more than 30,000 municipalities.

- End of June, the hypothesis compromised

Will the second round of municipal elections in the 5,000 communes where the first was not successful be possible at the end of June, as is currently planned? "I don't know": Edouard Philippe cautiously referred Sunday to the report which will be given to him on May 23 by the Scientific Council. If the sanitary conditions are not met, a new postponement, in the fall, or even in March 2021, will have to be decided by the executive and the Parliament.

"We think it will be difficult to hold the elections in June," said Sunday the Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Jacqueline Gourault, for whom "realism" leads to them taking place "surely after the summer. ".

At the end of the videoconference between the Prime Minister and the party leaders on Monday, the president of LR Christian Jacob pleaded for a second round "as soon as possible, depending on the health situation. June would be ideal, but i have understood that it would be rather September, "he added.

- A niche in September

At the height of the crisis, the Prime Minister spoke of a further postponement of the second round "maybe in October, maybe after".

A deadline deemed too long by the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) which calls for its holding from mid-September. "The mayors in their entirety hope that this second round can be held as soon as possible," said before a senatorial delegation the president of AMF François Baroin (LR), for whom the poll should take place "if possible second fortnight in September ", six months after the first round was held.

Elected or defeated on March 15, the mayors were kept in office until the second round.

"The consequences of the health crisis will weigh on the finances of communities, so there are political decisions to be taken. We can understand the difficulties of organizing the second round on June 21, but beyond September it would not be reasonable ", abounds Christophe Bouillon (PS), president of the Association of the small towns of France, questioned by AFP.

-March 2021, distant horizon

Another hypothesis would be to start from scratch and regroup the two municipal towers with the departmental and regional ones in March 2021.

A scenario, mentioned in particular by Marine Le Pen (RN), which all the associations of elected officials oppose. "March is a political dimension, it is a subject of another nature" one year before the presidential election, underlines François Baroin.

A postponement to March 2021, a year after the first round was held, would in particular hamper the functioning of the EPCIs, the groupings of municipalities, metropolitan areas and agglomerations, whose role will be essential for economic recovery.

- Consensus on municipal councils

The government and the elected officials are on the same line to install as quickly as possible the municipal councils elected from the first round in 30,143 municipalities. "If sanitary conditions allow, late May or early June," said Sébastien Lecornu, Minister responsible for local authorities.

The installation of the municipal council, which must elect the mayor and the assistants, can be done quickly, with "a lowered quorum and possibilities of multiple proxies" to limit the number of people present, he underlines.

"It is not a mess between elected officials, it is a question of being present on the economic recovery", insists François Baroin, who underlines that "70% to 75% of the national public investment are carried by the communities local ".

For Christophe Bouillon, "we are in a phase of decision and important action, it is necessary to install those who have the legitimacy of the vote".

© 2020 AFP