The regional elections are the last nationwide decision before the French presidential election next spring.
Eyes are particularly on the extreme right.
Paris (AP) - In France, the first round of regional elections began on Sunday.
Almost 46 million people can vote on the appointment of new political offices in their areas.
It started early in the morning on the French island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean, the last polling stations in the overseas regions of Guadeloupe and Martinique close at midnight (6:00 p.m. local time). The simultaneous regional and departmental elections are the last nationwide decision before the presidential elections next spring.
It is particularly curious to see how the extreme right is cut off. According to surveys, Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National (formerly: Front National) could unite around a quarter of the electorate and possibly win one or more regions for the first time in the second round of elections on June 27th. In the last election in December 2015, the far right did well, even emerged as the strongest force in the first round, but failed to win in one of the regions. According to recent polls, the party's candidates for the first round of elections are ahead in 5 of the 13 mainland regions.
Observers predict a duel between Le Pen and incumbent President Emmanuel Macron for the presidential election. Macron's LREM party is only weakly anchored in the regions. Because the regions and the central government have very different competencies, a poor performance of his party is not necessarily due to a lack of support for him.
In the elections on Sunday, among other things, the regional councils will be newly appointed. France's regions have important competencies in the areas of public transport, education and economic development, but also in culture and the social sector. In centralized France, however, their influence is limited compared to the German federal states. Most of the regions are currently led by the traditional popular conservative and socialist parties.
According to recent polls, there could be a low of just 40 percent in voter turnout on Sunday.
On the mainland and overseas, voting should actually take place in March - but this was postponed due to the corona pandemic.
Despite numerous easings in the country, strict hygiene regulations apply to the elections.
In the polling office there is a mask requirement, a maximum of three voters may be on site at the same time.
The regional elections in France are held in two rounds in quick succession.
In many places, the decision to fill positions will therefore only be made in the coming week.
Because only if a political force wins an absolute majority straight away, the second vote in the area will not take place.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210620-99-67053 / 3
