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Voters stay away from second round of French local elections Greens surge in French local elections as Anne Hidalgo holds Paris
(about 1 hour later)
Coronavirus hits turnout as early results show Anne Hidalgo remains as Paris mayor Socialist mayor retains capital, with Macron’s LREM losing out to the ecology party
French voters stayed away from polling stations on Sunday in the second round of local elections, which had been postponed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. France was swept by a green wave on Sunday as ecology candidates won a number of major victories in the country’s local elections.
Initial figures suggested a historic level of abstention, with only an estimated 40% of the 16.5 million eligible to vote turning out to choose the mayors and councillors whose decisions affect their daily lives. Early results suggested the biggest winners of the delayed vote would be the green party, Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV), while the election delivered the predicted blow to Emmanuel Macron’s La République en Marche (LREM) party, which has failed to take root locally since it was founded four years ago.
The interior ministry said the figures were similar to those in the first round in March when fears of Covid-19 were high. By comparison, participation in the last local elections in 2014 was 52.4%. In Paris, the current mayor and favourite, Anne Hidalgo – who has been engaged in a bitter three-way battle – emerged with a large majority, polling just under half the votes cast in the capital.
Early results suggested the biggest winners of the delayed vote would be the green party, Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV), but were a blow to President Emmanuel Macron’s La République en Marche (LREM) party, which has failed to take root locally since it was founded four years ago. Hidalgo, a Socialist, who is supported by EELV and the Communists, made tackling climate change and pollution the key element of her election programme. After her victory was announced, Hidalgo, in charge at City Hall for the last six years, said voters had chosen to make Paris more “ecological, social and humanist”.
In Paris, where polling stations closed at 8pm, the Socialist Anne Hidalgo, mayor for the last six years, remained in office with an estimated 49% of the vote. “You have chosen hope, teamwork, a Paris that can breathe, that is better to live in, shows more solidarity and that leaves nobody to fall by the wayside,” she said in a brief speech.
In the last published opinion polls, LREM’s Agnès Buzyn – a former health minister parachuted in after the party’s chosen candidate was involved in a sex scandal – was trailing well behind in third place. In an election marked by the coronavirus, many people stayed away from polling stations, leading to an historic level of abstention.
In many Paris polling stations, coronavirus protection methods including distancing marks on the ground and glass screens seemed hardly necessary given the trickle of voters. “It’s been like this all day,” said a security guard at one in the city centre. “Very, very quiet.”
The first round took place on 15 March, two days before France went into a strict two-month coronavirus lockdown. The second round, due to be held the following Sunday, was postponed.The first round took place on 15 March, two days before France went into a strict two-month coronavirus lockdown. The second round, due to be held the following Sunday, was postponed.
In the event, the first-round results were decisive in about 60% of the country’s 30,000 municipalities, meaning there was no need for a second round, but many major cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse and Lyon, remained up for grabs. Initial figures suggested only 40% of the 16.5 million in areas holding a second round turned out on Sunday to choose the mayors and councillors whose decisions affect their daily lives. Participation in the last local elections in 2014 was 52.4%.
Among the main results were at Le Havre, where the prime minister, Édouard Philippe, retained his mayoral seat with 59% of the vote. Speaking after the provisional result was announced, Philippe described the election as an “important democratic moment”. At many Paris polling stations, protection methods including distancing marks on the ground and glass screens seemed hardly necessary given the trickle of voters. “It’s been like this all day,” said a security guard at one in the centre of the city. “Very quiet.”
“The results are clear at Le Havre and I want to thank local people who continue to have confidence in me,” he said. More than 60% of local mayors had been already decided in the first round, but many major cities and towns, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse and Lyon, remained up for grabs.
Lyon, France’s third largest city, changed colour, with the veteran former Socialist mayor Gérard Collomb, representing LREM, losing to the EELV candidate. Bordeaux, a bastion of the centre right, was also taken by the ecologists, as were Strasbourg, Besançon, Poitiers, Annecy and Tours.
In Lille, the Socialist party’s Martine Aubrey, mayor since 2001 and daughter of the “father” of the EU, Jacques Delors, was thought to have won a neck-and-neck battle with the Green candidate by a handful of votes.
Among the other main results were Le Havre, where the prime minister, Édouard Philippe, retained his mayoral seat with 59% of the vote. Speaking after his victory was announced, Philippe described the election as an “important democratic moment”. “The results are clear at Le Havre and I want to thank local people who continue to have confidence in me,” he said.
Philippe will be waiting to hear if he will return to Le Havre sooner than expected after Macron carries out his predicted government reshuffle in the next week or so.Philippe will be waiting to hear if he will return to Le Havre sooner than expected after Macron carries out his predicted government reshuffle in the next week or so.
In France’s southernmost city, Perpignan, the far-right candidate, Louis Aliot, a former partner of the Rassemblement National leader, Marine Le Pen, won in a major victory for the party. Lyon, France’s third largest city, also changed colour, with the veteran former Socialist mayor Gérard Collomb, representing LREM, losing an EELV candidate. In France’s southernmost city, Perpignan, the far-right candidate, Louis Aliot, a former partner of the Rassemblement National leader, Marine Le Pen, won in a major victory for the party.
At the other end of the country, the Socialist Martine Aubrey, the mayor of Lille since 2001 and daughter of the “father” of the EU, Jacques Delors, was waiting to hear if she had lost a neck-and-neck battle in Lille to the Green candidate. There was another shock in Saint-Denis, the Paris banlieue run by the Communist party for the best part of a century, which elected a Socialist mayor.
Jérôme Fourquet of the pollsters Ifop said local elections were historically a way for the population to sanction those in power. However, he said it would be difficult to interpret Sunday’s results because LREM, a fledgling party created to carry Macron to power in 2017, had few outgoing mayors. Jérôme Fourquet of the pollsters Ifop said local elections were historically a way for the population to punish those in power. However, he said it would be difficult to interpret Sunday’s results because LREM, a fledgling party created to carry Macron to power in 2017, had few outgoing mayors. While Macron’s centrist party is dominating French politics at a national level, having fragmented the traditional right and left, it has little representation locally.
While Macron’s centrist party is dominating French politics at a national level, having fragmented the traditional right and left, it has little representation locally.
“LREM will score badly because it has no outgoing mayors to lose, it has to win,” Fourquet said. “And most French mayors come from the traditional right and left. This means, in terms of sanctioning those in power, it will not be easy to read.”“LREM will score badly because it has no outgoing mayors to lose, it has to win,” Fourquet said. “And most French mayors come from the traditional right and left. This means, in terms of sanctioning those in power, it will not be easy to read.”
He added: “Nationally, there are two main forces in politics right now, the Rassemblement National and Macron. At a national level, Marine Le Pen is his main opponent. But these two forces are not present at a local level where Les Républicains and the Parti Socialiste are most solid.” He added: “Nationally, there are two main forces in politics right now, the Rassemblement National and Macron. At a national level, Marine Le Pen is his main opponent. But these two forces are not present at a local level, where Les Républicains and the Parti Socialiste are most solid.”