The suspense is not completely subsided, but the future is slightly more clear to the political class. At a meeting with party leaders Wednesday, Édouard Philippe stated that the second round of the municipal elections would be held in either June or January 2021. “The Prime minister has ruled out September very clearly, and the fall too, saying it’s June or January,” reported one of the participants. According to franceinfo, Edouard Philippe will announce to the sides of Christophe Castaner the final date Friday, may 22.
Read also EXCLUSIVE. Municipal : the dinner of the Élysée, which has sealed the fate of the second-round
According to several party officials, the head of the government explained that it had to be a month and a half to campaign, and that it would be complicated with the new school year, while in October, it would be impossible to interrupt the debate session on the budget in Parliament. “The Prime minister has ruled out September very clearly, and the fall too, saying it’s June or January,” reported the president of LR Christian Jacob. “Édouard Philippe we said either June or January 2021. He had no plans of voting in September “, added the deputy BIA Alexis Corbière.
A report must be handed in on Thursday or Friday
The Prime minister also emphasized that no decision was made at this stage, according to several participants. Questioned, the entourage of the Prime minister has explained work on two assumptions, that of a postponement of the elections, but not beyond January 2021. A draft law is in preparation and reviewed by the State Council in the case of a deferral.
Read also Coignard – Municipal : your masks ready…
But this does not prejudge the decision, pointed out this source. According to her, Édouard Philippe stated that a poll in September would be complicated because of the back-to-school. And that the following months are also very constrained from the point of view of parliamentary, because there are laws of finance and this does not allow to suspend the activity of the Parliament to campaign. The report that the government must deliver on Friday or Thursday, the Parliament will hold an orientation of the position of the government, has even said this source.
The opposition shared
During the meeting, Alexis Corbière has expressed its opposition to the holding of a second round in June. The chairman of the scientific Council Jean-François Delfraissy, ” present at the beginning of the meeting, he told us that it would be difficult to keep campaigning. In these conditions, it seems to us impossible to hold the second round at the end of June ” and ” there is also a risk premium to the incumbent mayor, who have, for example, distributed masks during the crisis “, explained the representative of BIA.
The member of parliament and chair of Standing the France Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, also pointed to “two blocking” for June, “a lock health because we do not yet have the balance sheet of the déconfinement “and a” deadlock of democracy “because” the French are not ready to go and vote after the fiasco of the first round, and the problem of the campaign is that there will be no campaign and there will be very little participation.”
also Read Jean-Christophe Lagarde : “there are always fools to believe in the manipulation”
According to the president of the UDI Jean-Christophe Lagarde, an election in June risk “to eliminate any democratic debate “with” a particular campaign, without public meeting, without distributing tracts ” and ” a part of the electorate (that) will be afraid to vote “. “This is going to distort the result of the ballot in the municipalities where it is the most played “, according to Jean-Christophe Lagarde, who is in favor of the municipal to take place at the same time as the departmental and regional in march 2021.
conversely, Christian Jacob said, ” that from the moment where sanitary conditions are met “, he was ” in favour of the elections will be held as soon as possible and in particular in June “. If the second round takes place in January 2021, “it changes all of the electoral calendar, and it repels almost a year the public order with serious consequences in terms of employment,” said the head of LR.
