We left on the evening of the first round, March 15, 2020, with two candidates still in the running, without too much certainty except that the second round would be tight. At the dawn of a pandemic, France was already walking at a slow pace. Schools, shops, bars, restaurants and other cultural places were about to close and doubts about the holding of the first round had arisen in the highest spheres of power. Since then, more than two months have passed. And Friday May 22 the verdict fell, pronounced by the Prime Minister and candidate for mayor of Le Havre, Edouard Philippe : “ The second round of municipal elections will be held on Sunday June 28 if sanitary conditions allow. “
Since then, reactions have multiplied. The current mayor of Le Havre, Jean-Baptiste Gastinne welcomed this decision which he judges “ good. It validates the result of the first round and respects the voters who came out on March 15. It also makes it possible to set up municipal and inter-municipal councils as soon as possible, which is very important since it is through their investments that cities and urban communities can contribute to reviving the economy. “ What the socialist does not contradict Matthieu Brasse : “ We think it’s a good thing. So that these elections are finally behind us. First of all because it will allow the municipalities to meet their municipal councils on a regular basis, especially in the context of the health crisis. And above all, it will allow intermunicipal associations – here Le Havre Seine Métropole – to bring together all of their elected officials. These intercommunalities which will be on the front line in the management of the Covid post-crisis 19, particularly in terms of investments. “
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“Will sanitary conditions be better in January? “
With 35.88% of the votes obtained at the end of the first round, Jean-Paul Lecoq will undoubtedly be a major adversary for Édouard Philippe. The member does not hide his impatience to do battle: “ I am one of those who wanted the electoral process to be relaunched quickly. First, because it brings credit in the first round. Then because it allows to relaunch the political machine, to constitute the municipal councils, the intermunicipalities which will have important decisions to take in the coming weeks. It is also a respect for the voters who spoke on March 15 and who are waiting for this second round. And then, if today we can go to school, take public transport, shop in supermarkets, why wouldn’t we be able to vote ? To postpone the date of the second round further, this meant redoing a first round without knowing whether the sanitary conditions would be better in September 2020 or in January 2021. “
A good decision but in strict compliance with health rules. “ The priority obviously remains the health of the population. For this, the opinion of the scientific council which will be given a few weeks before will be important and will of course have to be heard “ argues Jean-Baptiste Gastinne. Words echoed by those of Jean-Paul Lecoq – “ obviously you have to take all the necessary sanitary measures “ – and Matthieu Brasse – “ ensure that all sanitary conditions are met “
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“Applicants have not integrated Covid into their programs”
But this position is not shared by all. The announcement of the organization of the second round of municipal elections on June 28, 2020 is not consensus, far from it. The environmental candidate Alexis Deck, far behind Édouard Philippe and Jean-Paul Lecoq at the end of the first round (8.28% of the votes) sees this “ a democratic aberration. We could already talk about the insincerity of the 1st round which took place in abnormal conditions with a strong abstention which penalized us. Here we are facing a flaw from a democratic point of view. The Covid-19 changes everything. Voters are asked to go and vote, to choose from candidates who have absolutely not integrated the coronavirus into their programs. In Le Havre, the Philippe / Gastinne tandem is doing its utmost to develop the traffic in giant liners and cruise passengers. But what about this company after Covid-19 ? Ditto, Jean-Paul Lecoq defends free public transport. But, again, what about all this after the Covid ? We prevent reflection. The French have their heads elsewhere. We will experience record abstention. And how are we going to campaign if we can no longer tow or go door to door ? All of these ballots will unfortunately be marred by some form of irregularity. Even if I understand the arguments that defend the resumption of municipal councils and intermunicipal associations which will have an important role in terms of investments and revival of the economy. “
Next to La France Insoumise, which through the voice of its local spokesperson, Nicolas Guillet, maintains that “ holding an election in a state of health emergency is not a good decision. First, for a democratic election to take place, so that voters have the elements of political choice, there must be an election campaign. To campaign is to act collectively, to meet the population (…) immediately, physically and visually. However, for the time being, it is prohibited to gather with more than 10 people. The usual places of discussion, the cafes and bistros in which many gather to talk about politics, are closed. How, under these conditions, hold a second round meeting, wander around the neighborhoods, tow in the markets, organize meetings in public places ? Then, to preserve the health of all, we need means and, in particular, masks, for all, free (…) Political responsibility implies another way of considering the second round of municipal elections to respect the people of Le Havre : organize normal democratic conditions for debate and election ; to have the maximum concern for the protection of the health of our fellow citizens by the adoption of adequate measures. “
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The holding of planned public meetings
The National Rally also condemns this government decision. RN candidate in Le Havre, excluded from the second round with 7.31% of the votes, Frédéric Groussard is indignant: “ Again, this is clearly a denial of democracy on the part of this government. The Electoral Code and the constitutional rules are not respected. It is clear that with this Covid-19 crisis, managed in total amateurism by the government, with almost non-existent opposition, apart from the RN, the results and the abstention from a new first round should not have everything was the same as March 15th. A truly democratic decision would have been to redo everything. Not to mention that during this time of confinement, the outgoing mayors were able to conduct a perfect additional electoral campaign by advancing their local management of this crisis. So here we are faced with a big concern for fairness between the remaining candidates. And let’s not forget that the virus is still there. Voters know it, and even if the health protocols will be applied in the polling stations, we are going straight to a new record abstention. The best thing would have been to postpone the poll until the fall or even January 2021 by organizing two rounds again. “
Unless the scientific council orders otherwise, the second round will therefore take place on June 28, 2020. In view of the current health context, and in view of the time it will last, the looming campaign will be completely disrupted. Already, “ with the aim of bringing together the 60 running mate to discuss with them the means of action to be implemented – knowing that within our group, of which I am at the top of the list, all decisions are taken collectively – it is not impossible to envisage the establishment of technical means made available by the cities. We also discussed it with Édouard Philippe. In Le Havre, Jean-Baptiste Gastinne must provide us with – for Édouard Philippe as for me – rooms large enough to accommodate these running mate, respecting health rules “, explains Jean-Paul Lecoq. A request which could obtain a favorable opinion. Especially since in a recent interview with our colleagues from Parisian, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said he plans to authorize the holding of public meetings “ if the candidates deem it essential and undertake to respect a strict organization, in particular with regard to physical distance measures “ Here and there, forced to close, there are some who must pull their hair …
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