China News Agency, Paris, June 28 (Reporter Li Yang) The second round of the French municipal election was held on the 28th local time, and the ruling party, the Progressive Party of the Republic, faced a severe test.
The first round of voting for this year’s French municipal elections was held on March 15. Two days later, the whole law was “closing the city”, a series of control measures were implemented one after another, and public meetings were banned. After France launched the "unblocking" in May, Prime Minister Philip announced on May 22 that a second round of voting will be held on June 28. Due to the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, the voting period was delayed for more than 3 months.
The reporter noted that, due to the epidemic, no major political party candidates had held large-scale campaign canvassing campaigns in Paris before the vote. Hidalgo, who is seeking re-election as mayor of Paris, and the candidate for mayor of Paris recommended by the ruling party, Buzan, the former health minister, and others participated in this week's TV debate.
French President Macron and his wife Brigitte voted in the French city of Le Touquet on the 28th; Prime Minister Philip voted in Le Havre, he is seeking to be the mayor of Le Havre through municipal elections; candidates such as Hidalgo also participated To vote.
The French Ministry of the Interior reminded the public earlier that they must wear masks when voting. Macron and other politicians also put on masks when voting. As in the first round of voting, the polling station continued to take anti-epidemic measures, provide hand sanitizer and ensure social distance.
However, due to various factors such as the epidemic, the turnout rate in this round of voting may hit a record low. The turnout at 12 noon on the 28th was only 15.29%, lower than the 18.38% turnout at the same time as the first round of voting 3 months ago, and also lower than the 19.83% turnout at the same time the second round of voting 6 years ago.
For the ruling party, the Progressive Party, the election situation is not optimistic. According to pre-election polls, in Paris, Hidalgo from the Socialist Party is more likely to be re-elected as mayor, but the ruling party elected Buzan only ranked third in the polls, and the chance of winning is very low.
In the competition for mayors in large cities such as Lyon and Strasbourg, the Green Party has a greater advantage. Perhaps the most worrying of the ruling party is the election of the mayor of Perpignan in the south of France, where candidates for the far-right party are currently leading.
French municipal elections are held every 6 years, and the mayors of most large cities will be elected by a second round of voting. After the second round of voting, the election results are expected to be announced from midnight on the 28th to early morning on the 29th. (Finish)