Paris (AFP)

The leader of the senators LREM François Patriat said Saturday fearing "a rupture of equality" between candidates during the second round of municipal elections on June 28, because of the difficulty for non-leavers to campaign.

"I understand the decision of the government which is to want to settle the episode of the municipal ones (...), I also hear well the will to be able to relaunch the intermunicipalities to revive the economy", declared Mr. Patriat on Europe 1 "But in spite of everything I wonder about the sincerity of this election".

"We are told that we will be able to vote, but I think that there will be a break in equality between the candidates (...)", he continued. "Breach of equality" between non-outgoing candidates and outgoing mayors "who campaigned with masks, with tests, in schools, in canteens, in nursing homes (...) that we saw in television, in the press, and who are de facto in a position of power completely unbalanced compared to their challengers, "developed the senator of the Côte-d'Or.

In addition, if there was a "resumption" of the epidemic, "the responsibility would fall entirely on the head of state, which I do not wish," argued François Patriat again, recalling that it was him -same supporter of "postponing the elections, redoing two rounds", at least for the big cities.

"The LREM group in the Senate is loyal, in solidarity with the government," he assured, however, excluding from opposing a decision "taken collegially by the Prime Minister in agreement with the government".

The president (LREM) of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand himself had estimated Tuesday that it was not "reasonable" to envisage a 2d round of the municipal elections as of the end of June, "whereas the campaigns cannot not take place since we cannot bring together more than ten people ".

On the same wavelength, the centrist leader of the UDI Jean-Christophe Lagarde stressed on France Info that there are municipalities "where this will be played out with a few voices. And we saw it at March, part of the electorate will not vote for fear, another part for lack of information. So we will distort the result. "

"Without an electoral campaign no informed choice. With the coronavirus too low a turnout to guarantee the fairness of the ballot," he said.

© 2020 AFP