It was in the air; now it’s official.
The cautious opinion of the scientific council assisting the government in its decision-making concerning the coronavirus epidemic had paved the way for this decision.
The appeal from a good number of outgoing mayors and candidates for re-election – among them Christian Estrosi – accelerated the process for this decision to be made.
This time Emmanuel Macron did not seek advice – as he did for the first round – from Gérard Larcher, the President of the Senate, whose opinions are as much traps!
The announcement was made late Friday morning by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, alongside Christophe Castaner, Minister of the Interior. “After weighing the pros and cons, we believe that democratic life must be able to retain its rights,” said the Prime Minister, noting that the decision did not reach consensus within the political realm. This decision affects the 5,000 municipalities where the municipal council was not elected in the first round.
While strict rules are still in effect as part of the first phase of lifting lockdown, the campaign “must not become a factor in the spread of the virus,” added Christophe Castaner, Minister of the Interior.
In the Nice metropolis, except for Nice, several medium-sized towns will be affected: Cagnes-sur-Mer, Vence, Carros.
In the Azure Capital, the game is practically over: Christian Estrosi almost won in the first round and will not miss success in the second round against Philippe Vardon (RN) and Jean-Marc Governatori (Ecologists), who will compete for the number of opposition councilors.
His good management of the epidemic – despite some excesses of personalization – should earn him an electoral bonus.
It is noteworthy that, for the first time in a long while, the historic left, socialist and communist, will be excluded from the municipal council. Given a confusing (Nice au coeur list) and hesitant (VIVA! list) electoral campaign, both lists will be sidelined. They will maintain their presence in political life in the form of an association.
