Paris (AFP)
After the school deconfinement, that of the polling stations? The government is imminently awaiting the opinion of its scientific council on the organization of the second round of the municipal elections, a burning dossier in which the executive intends to associate the political parties.
"The opinion of the scientific council will be made public as soon as it has been finalized and handed over to the Prime Minister between tonight and tomorrow," the Prime Minister's services said on Monday. The report on which Edouard Philippe will rely, to decide on the continuation of the electoral process in the cities where the 1st round on March 15 was not decisive, was expected before May 23.
Originally scheduled for March 22, the second round, which involves around 5,000 municipalities, was postponed until the day after the first round due to the health crisis.
The Prime Minister will consult with political party officials late Wednesday. Mr. Philippe also plans to request a debate and a vote in Parliament on the organization of the election at the end of June, on the basis of article 50-1 of the Constitution, which does not engage the responsibility of the government.
- Impossible consensus -
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".
"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.
Whatever happens, consensus will be difficult to obtain as opinions diverge on all sides. Thus, the president of RN Marine Le Pen militates for municipal elections in 2021, when Louis Aliot, RN candidate poised to win in Perpignan, pleads for the end of June.
Meanwhile, the municipal councilors elected in the first round took office on Monday, paving the way for the election of mayors and deputies in more than 30,000 municipalities.
In the health field, the decline continues and for the first time since March 22, the number of patients of the Covid-19 in intensive care - essential indicator of the pressure on the hospital system - fell back below 2,000 on Monday, so that the total balance now amounts to at least 28,239 deaths.
After a first deconfigured and sunny weekend which saw many French people thronging in nature or on the beaches, some 185,000 schoolchildren from the "green zones" made their comeback on Monday by complying with a strict health protocol, including the port mandatory mask.
In front of the Pierre-Puget college in Marseille, some tried to reassure themselves. "We are not risking anything, my mother told me so," said Amine.
But at the Debussy college in Angers, Christian-Pierre, in 5th grade, who found distance work "a bit complicated", feels "free to finally see people I can talk to, do real work with the teachers ".
- Wave of indignation -
Despite fears, the government continues to defend this restart to reconnect with the approximately 500,000 students who dropped out during confinement.
Because after a whole week where the French have found a certain freedom of movement, authorities and experts have their eyes riveted on the signs which could alert of a possible "second wave".
President Emmanuel Macron must make a point on the deconfinement Tuesday with the representatives of the mayors, placed in the front line alongside the State.
Emmanuel Macron also met Tuesday with the leaders of Sanofi, including DG Paul Hudson.
The pharmaceutical giant has unleashed a wave of indignation by declaring that it would distribute a possible vaccine against the new coronavirus first in the United States, which invested 30 million dollars to support its research.
In reaction to the words of Mr. Hudson, Emmanuel Macron called Thursday that this vaccine be "extracted from the laws of the market", while Prime Minister Edouard Philippe estimated that "the equal access of all to the vaccine is non-negotiable".
While the deconfinement raised fears of a relaxation in the vigilance vis-a-vis the virus, the Council of State prohibited the monitoring of its rules with drones in Paris, in particular the prohibition of gatherings of more than 10 people.
The Council of State also ordered the government to lift the "general and absolute" ban on assembly in places of worship, citing in particular "the tolerance of gatherings of less than 10 people in other places open to the public".
© 2020 AFP