French local elections go ahead despite coronavirus restrictions; turnout lower so far

An information board for voters is displayed in a polling station on the eve of the first round of mayoral elections, as France grapples with an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Nice, France March 14, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard


PARIS (Reuters) - French voters appeared to be holding back from taking part in local elections on Sunday after the government pressed ahead with the vote despite a raft of new measures to curb public gatherings amid a rapid acceleration of the coronavirus.

France is set to choose mayors for 35,000 town halls and almost half a million councillors in a vote overshadowed by the coronavirus outbreak.