Macron's party fails to take key cities

PARIS－Candidates of French President Emmanuel Macron's The Republic on the Move, or LERM, party failed in Sunday's first-round municipal election, clouding the president's plan to build a local power base for his party ahead of the 2022 presidential race.

According to exit polls, LERM failed to uproot the bastions long-held by socialists and conservatives in the largest French cities.

Paris remains in the hands of the Socialist Party after its candidate Anne Hidalgo led with 30.2 percent of the votes, eight points ahead of her conservative rival Rachida Dati's 22 percent. Former health minister Agnes Buzyn who defended the LREM banner came in third.

In Marseille, France's second main city, the right-wing Republican party failed to secure a fifth mandate after its candidate came in second behind the Socialist contender.

Pollsters' estimates showed that the candidate from the European Ecologists and the Greens, or EELV, Gregory Doucet was placed first in Lyon, France's third main city, where he collected 29 percent of the vote, a 12-point lead over his conservative rival.

The EELV saw a surge in support in Bordeaux, a right-wing stronghold, Grenoble, Besancon and Strasbourg, suggesting a growing "green wave" is likely to sweep Europe's second largest power.

Facing his first domestic mid-term vote challenge, Macron had bet on his anti-establishment party -which he created in 2016－to win control of major cities to anchor power at the local level, and offset losses in the rural zone where he faces fierce criticism of "being out of touch" and "doing little for the working class".

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe finished first in the port city of Le Havre, winning 43.6 percent of the vote and consolidating his chance to win the runoff. Culture Minister Franck Riester and Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin were reelected with outright majorities.

Voter participation is crucial and one of the deciding factors for candidates as they need to secure more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a second-round ballot. For those who cannot pocket 50 percent of the vote, they need to obtain 10 percent in the first round of vote to head to the runoff.

Voter turnout in the first round of municipal election was 38.77 percent at 5 pm local time, sharply down from 54.54 percent at the same time six years ago, according to figures released by the Interior Ministry.

The abstention rate was estimated at a record 56 percent compared to 33.4 percent in first round of the 2014 municipal election, as French voters, who traditionally tend to show less interest in polls, had further shunned elections on growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

Xinhua - Agencies