Le Havre (AFP)

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe won the municipal elections in Le Havre on Sunday with 58.83% of the vote against PCF deputy Jean-Paul Lecoq.

"In Le Havre, the results are clear," immediately reacted Edouard Philippe to his supporters gathered in the hall of the town hall.

During the campaign, Edouard Philippe had indicated that as long as he was in Matignon, he would not run the city.

On March 15, during the first round, Edouard Philippe, 49, came out on top with 43.60% of the vote before Jean-Paul Lecoq, 61 (35.88%), the EELV-PS list led by environmentalist Alexis Deck (8.28%) and the RN list (7.31%). The abstention rate was 60.42%.

The PCF and PS-EELV lists had not merged.

An Ifop poll published on June 11 gave the Prime Minister the winner with 53% of the voting intentions.

Edouard Philippe, who was elected in the first round in 2014 with 52% of the votes, has been a municipal councilor in Le Havre since 2001. This former LR was mayor of this port city of 170,000 inhabitants from 2010 to 2017.

© 2020 AFP