Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 16 March 2020
Virus voting: France holds local elections despite fears

By SYLVIE CORBET wipes for voting machines.
PARIS (AP) — French vot- Voters were told to bring
ers went to the polls Sun- their own pens to sign the
day to choose mayors and register.
other local leaders but the But Associated Press report-
second round of the vote ers observed an uneven
was put into question amid application of the rules in
concerns over low turnout different polling stations.
and the rapid spread of the Some had marked off the
new coronavirus across the floor with tape to indicate
country. one-meter spacing; oth-
Interior Minister Christophe ers had no indication and
Castaner said the turnout voters bunched up irregu-
for Sunday's vote, which larly. Some voters washed
should be known over- their hands before and af-
night, will clearly be lower ter casting a ballot, others
than usual as many people didn't bother. Staffers reas-
didn't go to polling stations sured voters that they were
over fears that would fuel disinfecting voting booths
the spread of the virus that every hour.
has upended travel plans, Sunday's elections are the
closed schools and rattled first round of a two-round
financial markets. vote for leadership of all
Several political leaders Volunteers wearing masks and gloves wait for voters in a polling station during local elections in 35,000 French communes.
from the right and the left Lyon, central France, Sunday, March 15, 2020. Voters were choosing
called for the second round Associated Press among lists of candidates
to be postponed. Sunday's running for mayor and
vote came just as a drastic confirmed cases of CO- and have therefore shown party, Louis Aliot, appeared town council seats. If no list
new rules took effect shut- VID-19 —an additional 900 their attachment to munici- largely ahead in the south- gets the absolute majority
ting down all of France's compared to the day be- pal democracy." ern town of Perpignan, ac- in the first round, all lists that
restaurants, museums and fore— including 127 people But Philippe said he will cording to estimations by receive more than 10% of
most stores to stem the who have died. gather a scientific com- poll institutes. votes qualify for the second
spreading coronavirus that Prime Minister Edouard mittee and talk with the French President Emman- round.
emerged in China late last Philippe praised the organi- leaders of France's political uel Macron decided not While most voters cast bal-
year. zation of the local vote and parties in order to decide to delay Sunday's election lots based on local issues,
French health authorities those "citizens who have whether to organize the amid concerns that would the elections are an impor-
on Sunday reported 5,423 chosen to go to the polls second round of voting, be undemocratic. But the tant gauge of public senti-
which is currently sched- virus hurt Sunday's turnout, ment before France's 2022
uled for March 22. which was only 38% by 5 presidential election.
Philippe, who is running for p.m., compared to 54% at Sunday's voting is expect-
mayor in his hometown of that time in 2014. ed to be a tough chal-
Le Havre, appeared to be "I believe it is important that lenge for Macron's 3-year-
leading in the first round, that democratic moment old centrist party, which is
according to estimates take place," Macron said competing for the first time
from polling institutes based after voting in his home- in municipal elections and
on partial results, which also town of Le Touquet in north- still lacks local roots across
put Paris's mayor, Socialist ern France. France. His government
Anne Hidalgo, ahead. Macron said he keeps is also unpopular after
Far-right leader Marine Le hydro-alcoholic gel in his months of protests from the
Pen called said Sunday the pocket and added that he yellow vest movement eco-
second round "obviously hasn't been tested for the nomic movement against
won't take place." A can- virus because he has no perceived social injustice,
didate with her National symptoms. and several weeks of strikes
Rally party, Steeve Briois, Those who showed up to against the government's
was elected Sunday with the poll stations described planned pension overhaul.
an absolute majority of the a feeling of duty, despite The conservative Repub-
votes in Le Pen's fiefdom, the challenges. licans party, the Greens
the northern town of Henin- "It's not ideal, but it's impor- party, the far-right National
Beaumont. tant we go vote. Life in this Rally and the struggling
A key figure in the far-right city and in society shouldn't Socialists are also vying for
stop," said Laure Marie Di- key mayoral seats and to
ers, a manager in Paris. strengthen their nationwide
The government ordered bases.
unprecedented sanitary The main battleground is
measures at polling sta- Paris, whose whose may-
tions. or is an influential figure
Organizers were told to im- in French politics and will
pose a one-meter (about oversee the 2024 Summer
three-foot) gap between Olympics.
people in lines, and to pro- Definitive results from the
vide soap or hydro-alco- first round were expected
holic gel and disinfectant late Sunday.q