The government is leaning towards maintaining regional and departmental elections in June, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday before the Senate.

They had already been postponed for several months due to the health situation. 

The government favors "at this stage" the maintenance in June of regional and departmental elections if sanitary conditions can be met without "altering the free and secure expression of the vote of our fellow citizens," Jean Castex said Thursday in the Senate.

The Prime Minister recalled having received Monday a "particularly balanced opinion" from the Scientific Council, which "does not explicitly recommend a postponement of the elections", during a speech reviewing the restrictive measures pronounced the day before by Emmanuel Macron.

"It is therefore clearly the scenario of their maintenance that we favor at this stage," he assured.

These elections have already been postponed from March to June due to the health crisis. 

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"Improve the health situation by the end of June" 

According to the head of government, the measures announced the day before by Emmanuel Macron to curb the third wave and the acceleration of vaccination "should have the effect of improving the health situation by the end of June".

But Jean Castex warned that "the Scientific Council made specific recommendations as to the conditions for the organization and holding of these elections" and recalled that the new restrictions announced the day before "could have an effect on the progress of the campaign" .

"We therefore have a duty to ensure that all of these conditions can be effectively met and that their very concrete implementation will not alter the free and secure expression of the vote of our fellow citizens", explained the head of the government.

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Almost all political parties for the maintenance in June 

He reiterated before the senators his desire, announced in the morning to the National Assembly, to organize a debate in Parliament, after consulting the political parties, on the possibility of maintaining these polls on June 13 and 20.

It will thus initiate "without delay a consultation of the political parties represented in the Parliament (...) and the associations of local elected representatives". 

Once this round table has been completed, "the decision will be rendered by the government next week," government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on BFMTV.

And in the process "a debate based on article 50-1 of the Constitution will be organized in Parliament", indicated the Prime Minister.

At this stage, almost all political parties have said they are in favor of maintaining the polls in June.