Paris (AFP)
The scientific council will submit "during the day" Monday its report to the Prime Minister on the holding of the second round of municipal elections, in June or in the fall, announced Jacqueline Gourault, Minister for Territorial Cohesion.
"The Prime Minister will have the result of the scientific council during the day and see under what conditions the second round of these municipal elections can take place," she said on Public Sénat.
The report of the Scientific Council, on which the Prime Minister will rely to decide on the continuation of the electoral process for the cities where the 1st round on March 15 was not decisive, was expected before May 23.
The decision will then be "shared" with Parliament, which will have to decide, said the minister.
"All the political forces give their opinion, take part in the debate, so I find it normal that Parliament also takes part in it," she said.
Sunday, in the JDD, 36 mayors of big cities, including Anne Hidalgo (Paris) or Christian Estrosi (Nice), called to "organize the second round of municipal elections in June".
Scheduled initially on March 22, the second round, which concerns about 5,000 municipalities, was postponed until the day after the first due to the health crisis.
"If the experts consider that the epidemic is in some way under control, that the protective framework of the organization of the polling stations allows an electoral mobilization and to finish the poll at the end of June, the association of the mayors of France is favorable to that ", said Monday on Europe 1 François Baroin, the mayor LR of Troyes and president of the Association of mayors of France.
But if the election were to take place later after the summer, François Baroin is not in favor of replaying the first round of the 5,000 communes concerned (contrary to what the Council of State advocates).
"On March 15 we can (…) say that we were already in the development of the epidemic. So I don't find that there would be an alteration in sincerity" and that we should replay the 1st round, he clarified.
The entry into function this Monday of more than 30,000 complete municipal councils, elected them from the 1st round, was welcomed by Mrs. Gourault who judges it "very important in democratic terms".
"We must move on to the installation of the executives which will take place between May 23 and May 28, on the ground, it was a very important expectation of the elected officials," added the minister.
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