Coronavirus pushes French local election turnout to historic low

PARIS - The coronavirus pandemic pushed turnout to a record low in French local elections on Sunday, prompting opposition politicians to call on President Emmanuel Macron to postpone the second round.

Only 45.5 percent of potential voters went to the polls, compared with 63.55 percent in the last local elections in 2014, according to an estimate by pollsters Ipsos/Sopra Steria.

With the coronavirus spreading across the country, opposition politicians said the second round of the elections - scheduled for next Sunday - could not take place.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, said those candidates who won outright in the first round should be considered elected while other contests would have to wait.

"The second round of the election will clearly not happen, given the plausible aggravation of the epidemic," Le Pen said. "We must then consider the many candidates who won from the first round as elected, and postpone the other [elections], which should take place in a few months when the epidemic will have been contained."

Green politicians took a similar line.

"I solemnly call on the president of the republic to prioritize the health of the French people. I ask him to gather tomorrow morning representatives of all political parties in order to organize together the postponement of the second round," said Yannick Jadot, Green MEP and party heavyweight who ran for the presidency in 2017.

In an effort to curb the spread of the virus, the government Saturday ordered the shuttering of restaurants, cinemas and businesses except pharmacies, supermarkets, banks and gas stations. But Macron insisted scientists had backed his decision to go ahead with the first round of the elections.

After the polls closed on Sunday night, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he would meet with the government's scientific advisers and political parties to decide how to handle the second round.

"The high abstention rate shows the increasing concern of our citizens in the face of the epidemic we are up against," he said. "I will meet with the Scientific Council at the beginning of the week and will meet with the political parties, it is in full transparency and by taking into consideration the scientific recommendations that we will take the necessary measures."

Philippe was also running in the local polls, for reelection as mayor of the northern port city of Le Havre. He came first but, unlike in 2014, did not score an outright win, so will face a tricky runoff in the second round, according to estimates.

In Paris, Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo put in a strong showing in her bid for reelection with 30.2 percent of the vote, ahead of conservative former Justice Minister Rachida Dati on 22 percent, according to an Ipsos/Sopra Steria estimate. Macron's candidate, former Health Minister Agnès Buzyn, trailed in third place on 17.6 percent.