Postpone the regional and departmental elections again beyond June 13 and 20, 2021?
In Paris, Prime Minister Jean Castex assured last week that he would stick to the advice of the Scientific Council.
The ace.
This one returns this explosive file to the government in its report returned this Monday afternoon in Matignon and of which we had a copy.
"It is the sole responsibility of the political authorities to proceed in all democratic legitimacy to general assessments, which go beyond the only health aspects, as well as to the necessary arbitrations, which are eminently political when it comes to the organization of elections", thus argue the experts.
Not considering it possible to "quantify precisely and scientifically" the risks of contamination, they note that the latter "are now increased due to the high contagiousness of the British variant".
While noting that they would be reduced at the same time ”by vaccination.
Or the art of not deciding ... Especially since they also underline that in the event of a postponement to September 2021, for example, "the risks of contamination would be appreciably less than during the month of June due to a significantly higher predicted level of vaccination ”.
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Now remains to be decided.
On the executive side, all options were still open on Monday shortly after the publication of this document.
"As provided by law, the government will submit to parliament by April 1 a report on the basis of this opinion, which will also give rise to a consultation of political parties," we were content to let Matignon know.
At Les Républicains, where we said we were "a little surprised" by this non-decision of the Scientific Council, no one had yet been contacted on Monday evening ...
It is nothing to say that this question has strained relations between the opposition and the executive, suspected of wanting to avoid an electoral catastrophe before the presidential election or of hampering potential competitors of Emmanuel Macron in 2022. " Some had a big temptation at the end of last year to postpone them.
It was complicated.
And it starts to become tricky for the president, “breaths a familiar of the executive.
Republicans against further postponement
Especially since local elected officials, in particular on the right, have raised the harrows against a new postponement.
“We can adapt to health conditions.
Twelve EU countries have already held polls since the onset of the pandemic, ”underlines the entourage of LR president Christian Jacob.
"We must not fall into the trap of our opponents who say that the government wants to postpone the elections because it is afraid of losing", echoed a faithful of the president, when the general delegate of LREM, Stanislas Guerini, made precisely to know on all the tones that it is favorable to a maintenance of the poll in June.
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Except, continues a lieutenant of the party, that "the current health situation makes the decision difficult".
“You have to justify it.
It has already been postponed once ... points for its part a ministerial adviser.
After, what is it?
October?
»Question to be decided before Thursday, therefore.
And an additional stone in the shoe of the executive, already at the foot of the wall this week in the face of the third wave of the epidemic.