The first tour (round) of the 2021 regional and departmental elections in France is now over.   It surprised everyone.   The elections held throughout the country on June 20 seem to have muddied, rather than clarified, the forecasts for the presidential elections next year. And they …

The région of Hauts-de-France came into existence in 2016, as Picardy was added to the previous Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. It is the northernmost part of the country, bordering Belgium and the English Channel, and includes the cities of Lille (the site of the Prefecture), Dunkirk, Amiens, …