Strasbourg (AFP)

It had been one of the surprises of the first round of municipal elections in March: the ecologist Jeanne Barseghian, who came largely in the lead in Strasbourg, then fell ill, exhausted by the Covid-19 for several weeks. Now restored, she is preparing for the second round of a "campaign like no other".

"I was indeed reached by Covid-19 for several weeks, like very many Strasbourgeois and Strasbourgeoises. Several people of my team were also reached, but we are all and all recovered well, and I am perfectly fit today "today to approach this new stage of the election," reassures Jeanne Barseghian.

The past few weeks have been like a roller coaster for this 39-year-old lawyer, little known to the general public.

Well placed in the polls before the first round of March 15, she finished with a comfortable eight point lead over her pursuers, gathering 27.87% of the vote, against 19.86% for the candidate LREM Alain Fontanel, 19.77% to the socialist Catherine Trautmann, and 18.26% to the LR of Jean-Philippe Vetter.

But the happiness was short-lived for the candidate, fell ill soon after and weakened for more than a month.

- "Five weeks" of illness -

"It lasted five weeks, with a small relapse in the middle. Fortunately, it is not the majority of cases, but there are 5 to 10% of people with Covid who will have a long illness, which 'spread over more than a month,' says Barseghian.

"During the last part of the first round campaign, there was a lot of uncertainty and little knowledge about the real health situation: it was probably in this last period that we had to be contaminated, because at home the symptoms started about 10 to 15 days after the start of confinement, "she said.

Today recovered, Jeanne Barseghian is well placed to replace, at the head of the Alsatian capital, the current socialist mayor Roland Ries, who had to stay in office to manage the crisis.

And she plans to vote on June 28. "Obviously, this date is to be taken with caution: there is a review clause with a new opinion from the scientific committee 15 days before the election and the health conditions will make this campaign unlike any other," she said. .

The candidate underlines that the pillars of her program are reinforced by the health crisis.

- Outstretched hand to the PS -

"On the fundamentals, I think that the project that I carried during this campaign, which revolves around the ecological, social and democratic pillars, remains valid," she insists.

For the social aspect, the "crisis has highlighted the social emergency", "not everyone was housed in the same boat during confinement," she said.

"The ecological challenges are still there, there are also very strong links between our lifestyles, the relationship with nature, the destruction of biodiversity and the emergence of diseases or pandemics, also linked to the global warming, "she continues.

And with "very strong powers given to national and local executives, there is more than ever a need for debate, dialogue on our territories, on how to approach the management of this crisis, but above all on how to draw after".

For the second round, Mrs. Barseghian would like a merger with the socialist list of Catherine Trautmann, former mayor of Strasbourg and former Minister of Culture, but negotiations are still in progress.

"My list came out on top in the first round, it gives me a responsibility, which I assume, which is that of rallying the left. Very clearly I am calling for this rally. I reached out to Catherine Trautmann, j have bonded with her, and I wish we could get together. "

"It is a pivotal moment, we are at a historic turning point in political life in Strasbourg, but more generally, we can see that it is a very strong moment of transition," she concludes.

© 2020 AFP