11 days before the first round of the municipal elections and in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic, the vagueness reigns around the voting process. Some voices are also beginning to rise to request its postponement. A possible option, at least at the national level, according to constitutional experts ... provided that the law is changed!
"In theory, it is possible but in practice it is delicate," says Jean-Philippe Derosier, professor of public law at the University of Lille (Nord). Because that supposes a political convergence and the hour is not with lull… »To postpone the poll of March 15 and 22 only in Oise? Not so simple (read further) .
A "sensitive" subject on which the prefecture prefers not to comment. "We will obviously ask ourselves the question," said a few days ago Louis le Franc, the prefect. Not sure if the state agrees. "It is absolutely not on the agenda to postpone the municipal elections," government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said on Wednesday.
And to add: “We do not consider that the health situation would justify it, at this stage. There, it is the elected officials and residents of the Oise who raise their eyebrows. The department, classified as an outbreak of the epidemic with 99 confirmed cases of covid-19 this Wednesday evening, is facing an unprecedented and evolving situation. Mayors and candidates therefore have no shortage of arguments.
Risks of contagion
"I don't want to postpone the poll just to postpone it. I want to avoid people who come to vote taking the risk of being contaminated, explains Alain Vasselle, president of the Union of Mayors of Oise. People will attend the count. If they are shoulder to shoulder in a small space, the risk of contamination exists! "
Elderly people facing coronavirus
To alleviate this problem, the government also said on Wednesday that "fairly simple and common sense precautions" could be taken at polling stations to prevent voters from "sticking to each other in a queue "
Oise Newsletter
Every morning, the news of your department seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
Enough to make Jean-Claude Villemain, the mayor (PS) of Creil, jump. "You have to be consistent!" Either we assume the constraints imposed on us until March 14 and we do not maintain the elections. Either they are maintained and in which case, the measures taken do not hold! Will the virus disappear on March 14 at 11:59 p.m.? We are bordering on irresponsibility! It reminds me of the Chernobyl cloud. "
An organization that is difficult to implement
"I don't see how we will be able to organize the elections," worries Bruno Fortier, the mayor (SE) of Crépy-en-Valois. In this city of 15,360 inhabitants, epicenter of the epidemic and subject to the drastic constraints of a prefectural decree which also concerns nine other municipalities, specific measures have been put in place to limit the spread of Covid-19.
"Half of the city's staff are confined, all of my assistants too," continues the elected official, who was also blocked at home because he was diagnosed with coronavirus. Concretely, how to organize? "The town hall is only open 2 hours a day," says Bruno Fortier. And who will hold the polling stations on D-day? "
A biased election campaign
Still in Crépy-en-Valois, the campaign was also interrupted, the public meetings having been canceled. Jean-Michel Sinet, one of the eight candidates in the running therefore wrote a letter to the prefect to request the postponement of the elections. "We believe that the fairness of the campaign is not respected," he explains.
Can we postpone only the Oise ballot?
Postpone the elections, but what in the Oise? According to Jean-Philippe Derosier, professor of public law in Lille (Nord), it is possible by relying "on article L3131-1 of the Public Health Code". The latter provides that "in the event of a serious health threat, in particular in the event of the threat of an epidemic", the Minister of Health may, "by reasoned order, prescribe […] any measure proportionate to the risks run".
But for Didier Maus, specialist in constitutional law, “there is no legal basis. The Public Health Code only concerns health measures. There is no provision to go against elections. "
In fact, in the Cité de l'archerie, Bruno Fortier is not the only candidate to be confined to his home. Philippe Pinilo is also concerned. Shifting the first round "would allow our political adversaries to regain their function as head of the list and to take over the animation of the debates," pleads Jean-Michel Sinet.
In Compiègne, Daniel Leca bluntly denounces "a clear break in equality between the outgoing candidates and the others". The head of the list (UDI) points to the fact that the outgoing mayor (LR), Philippe Marini, speaks in public, especially in the context of crisis management. “He continues to campaign as if nothing had happened. I respect the prefectural decree. I interrupted my meetings, he says. Clearly, the campaign is not balanced! "
A rising abstention rate?
Another fear of some of the officials: that voters, for fear of the virus, will not move. “People will be reluctant to go to the polling stations, fears Didier Doucet, the mayor (LR) of Lagny-le-Sec. So there can be a real impact on the abstention rate. "
Take the metro at coronavirus time: “I don't open the train door any more! "
The feeling is the same for Alain Vasselle. "The abstention rate is likely to be significant! As a reminder, in 2014, the participation rate was 64.77% in the first round and 61.99% in the second round.
Patrick, Compiegnois, had moved and remembers well "this important moment of democracy". And this time? "I don't know ... It is a duty that should not be overlooked, especially when it comes to electing our local elected officials. »Quit contracting the Covid-19? " I'm not sure of it… "