Paris (AFP)

The head of the Modem François Bayrou, ally of Emmanuel Macron, pleaded Thursday for the postponement "after the summer" of the regional and departmental elections scheduled for June because of the health crisis and to avoid the repetition of the "drama" of the first municipal tour.

"The reason would be to say: we will vote after the summer," said the High Commissioner for Planning on Franceinfo, who also wishes "to create the conditions for postal voting for all French people who so wish".

"My opinion is that it is not reasonable to hold the elections at a time when the attention of the citizens is focused on questions as serious as health, disease," he said. highlighted.

To hold them in June, it would be necessary, as recommended by the Scientific Council, to vaccinate all the assessors, which is, according to Mr. Bayrou, "unrealistic, irresponsible" because it would then be necessary to give them "priority over the teachers, over the personnel of a number of vital public services ".

"We experienced in the first round of municipal elections a tragedy in which we know, I know women and men who contracted the disease, who died, and some were my friends," he further argued.

"I want them to take place (in June), but above all I want us to also take the echo and listen to the mayors of France to see if they feel capable of organizing elections under conditions health that protect the French ", pleaded for his part the boss of LREM deputies Christophe Castaner on France 2.

Following the recommendations of the Scientific Council, the government confirmed last week that it favored "at this stage" the maintenance of these polls on June 13 and 20, dates on which it asked the parties for their opinion before Thursday evening, ahead of these debates.

A debate on the maintenance of regional and departmental should take place on April 13 in front of the National Assembly and on April 14 in front of the Senate.

The Republicans pleaded for maintaining the regional and departmental elections in June with "an adapted health protocol" and an adaptation of the rules of publicity and reimbursement of expenses, in a letter sent Wednesday to Prime Minister Jean Castex.

© 2021 AFP