Presidential under Covid: Jean Castex invites parties to discuss the organization of the poll

French Prime Minister Jean Castex in Saint-Ouen, north of Paris, October 14, 2021. AFP - SARAH MEYSSONNIER

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

While the outbreak of the Omicron variant is not weakening in France, a meeting was held on Tuesday January 11 by videoconference between the government, the candidates and representatives of political parties to discuss the organization of the presidential election. 

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Concern is growing among political parties over the organization of the

presidential election and the current electoral campaign

.

The government therefore invited the candidates and representatives of the parties to listen to their proposals on the organization of the next election.

The political parties arrived with luggage full of ideas for Jean Castex and Gérald Darmanin such as reimbursement

of FFP2 masks

distributed during meetings or the installation of air purifiers in polling stations.

Proposals to which the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior were careful not to provide definitive answers.

France rebellious in particular demanded "

the increase of the reimbursable ceiling

" of the expenses of the presidential candidates "

to ensure the expenses related to the health situation

" or

"the increase of the time of campaign spots on the public channels and the State funding of spots on private channels

 ”.

For her part, the candidate RN Marine Le Pen wondered about "the

conditions of application of teleworking to the employees of a

presidential 

campaign " and on " 

a case law of the Campaign Accounts Commission which does not reimburse the flocking buses

 , ”said its campaign director Christophe Bay.

The subject of the postal vote

, categorically refused by rebellious France, was also addressed by the First Secretary of the PS Olivier Faure, who also spoke of "

 a vote spread over several days

 " and the need to give more space to the communication of candidates in the media, as requested by rebellious France.

Establishment of a Covid liaison committee

But the purpose of the meeting was above all to announce the establishment of a Covid liaison committee for the presidential election, which will be chaired by Jean-Denis Combrexelle. The Councilor of State is therefore back after having already been in the maneuver during the regional and departmental elections last year. But he has already made it clear: he will not be a decision-maker, his role will be to promote consultation, reports

Aurélien Devernoix

, from the political service of RFI.

In the end, it will be the government that will arbitrate.

"And he will do as usual what he wants

", loose a participant of the meeting. But for now, the oppositions prefer to show goodwill. With one exception, Eric Zemmour took the opportunity to challenge Jean Castex, urging him not to "

piss off the voters

", referring to Emmanuel Macron's controversial sentence on the unvaccinated.

The first meeting of the Covid liaison committee for the presidential election will be held this Friday, said Matignon.

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