Candidates from green party Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) swept to victory in the second round of local elections in cities across France yesterday including Lyon (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), Strasbourg (Grand Est), Besançon (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), Poitiers (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), Annecy (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and Tours (Centre-Val de Loire).
However, results showed voter turnout in the election was historically low. Only 40-41% of those eligible to vote did so, compared with 62.1% in the last local elections in 2014.
This may be a result of voters being reluctant to go to polling stations in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, despite health and safety measures being in place.
But critics have pointed out that the first round of voting (which took place on March 15, one day before Covid-19 lockdown began) also saw a very low turnout.
The second round of elections was originally supposed to take place on March 22 but was postponed following confinement in France.
Green is buzzword for France’s local elections
Taken from the Connexion
