France holds municipal elections postponed by virus crisis

PARIS (AP) — France is holding the second round of municipal elections that got postponed due to the country’s coronavirus outbreak. The voting to fill local offices in 5,000 towns and cities including Paris was suspended after the first nationwide round on March 15. The March elections were decisive in some 30,000 other mostly small communes. Voters are set to choose mayors and municipal councilors at polling stations operating under strict hygiene rules. Voters are being told to bring their own pens. The main battleground is Paris, where the mayor is an influential figure in French politics and will oversee the 2024 Summer Olympics. Paris Mayor Annie Hidalgo is running for reelection.