Jean-Louis Debré, on September 23 at the National Assembly -

JEE / SIPA

Jean Castex entrusted this Wednesday to Jean-Louis Debré, former president of the Constitutional Council, the task of considering a possible postponement, due to a health crisis linked to the spread of the coronavirus, regional and departmental elections scheduled for March 2021 and demanded by several political figures.

Jean-Louis Debré will be responsible for "carrying out a legal and practical analysis of the situation and making proposals after having consulted widely all the stakeholders", indicated the Prime Minister after having received the Presidents of the National Assembly and of the Senate, the presidents of parliamentary groups and the leaders of the main political parties.

Decision by early 2021

“Politicians have expressed their fear that the health risk will make it impossible to hold an electoral campaign in peaceful conditions.

The government has already announced that a process would be put in place to assess the need for a postponement of the polls, ”Jean Castex recalled.

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced last week the creation of a commission to study a possible postponement of departmental and regional elections, while the Covid-19 epidemic is progressing worryingly throughout the territory.

The final decision must be taken before the start of the official campaign, ie "at the end of the year, beginning of the year 2021", he specified.

"Do not relive the municipal fiasco"

The President of the National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, on Wednesday expressed his wish to postpone the regional elections.

At the end of the Matignon meeting, the President of the Republicans, Christian Jacob, recalled that the decision to postpone the elections was up to the government "in the light of the consultation" led by the mission chaired by Jean-Louis Debré.

“Either there are health risks and this is a framework that could justify a postponement.

But, if we can freely use the means of transport, go to work, do our shopping, democracy must also be respected, ”he stressed.

For his part, the number two of LFI Adrien Quatennens wished above all "not to relive the fiasco of the municipal elections".

"Either there is the possibility of a campaign since in a campaign there has to be controversy, or there is no campaign possible and the election should not be held," he warned.

During the municipal elections, the first round of which took place in March, in the midst of the epidemic, before a postponement of the second round at the end of June, “we said that since we can go and buy our baguette, we can therefore go and vote.

Certainly.

Except that an election is not only on polling day: it is an electoral campaign, door to door, public meetings, debates, ”argued Richard Ferrand on BFMTV and RMC.

Politics

Regional 2021: Postponement of the poll, new headache for the executive

Politics

Regional and departmental 2021: Richard Ferrand wants to postpone the March elections

  • Jean Castex

  • Jean-louis debre

  • Departmental elections

  • Regional elections

  • Coronavirus