France goes to the polls Sunday in nationwide local elections, defying a mounting health crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak that still risks keeping many voters at home.
Officials have insisted that voting will take place under the tightest sanitary conditions, despite widespread fear that polling stations are ideal germ-spreading venues and a particular risk for older people. A recent opinion poll said 28 percent of potential voters in France were"concerned" about the risk posed by mingling at polling stations, often hosted by schools.
The election will be a key test for Macron, whose party swept Paris in the 2017 presidential election, but has since lost popularity in part due to its leader's perceived autocratic leadership style and lack of common touch. The risk from voting for the elderly was no greater"than going shopping", insisted Jean-Francois Delfraissy, chairman of France's coronavirus science council.