Explainer: What you need to know about France's local elections

2026-03-15 10:35:29

PARIS, March 15 - France holds municipal elections on March 15 and 22, seen as a key test ahead of next year’s presidential election.

The two-round ballot will measure the strength of the far-right National Rally (RN) and showcase what types of alliances could emerge in an increasingly fragmented landscape.

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WHY FRENCH MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS MATTER

Heading nearly 35,000 communes - from major cities to villages with only a few dozen residents - mayors are France’s most trusted elected officials.

Local results can shape national ‌momentum and reveal which themes resonate with voters.

And municipal councillors elect senators, making Sunday’s election key for the line-up of France’s upper house of parliament.

WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR THE RN

The anti-immigration, eurosceptic party, which has so far struggled to make meaningful gains at a local level, is treating the March votes as a critical step toward building momentum for the 2027 presidential ballot.

It hopes to consolidate towns it already controls and expand into larger urban areas, saying it would field about 650 lists, substantially more than in previous cycles.

Only around a dozen sitting mayors belong to, or are backed by, the RN. The far-right party runs just one city of over 100,000 inhabitants, Perpignan.

One key ⁠question is what alliances the RN will strike with other parties between the two rounds. Traditionally, other parties have shunned the far right, but some politicians, particularly within mainstream right-wing parties, are tempted to reconsider.

In a sign of how important this election is for the RN, 33 out of 119 of its members of parliament are candidates in the municipal elections.

WHICH CITIES AND PARTIES TO WATCH

Marseille, France’s second-largest city and a traditional conservative stronghold, was claimed by the left in the 2020 election. Now, all major parties, including the far-right National Rally (RN), are vying for control. Winning there would be a major milestone for the RN.
Paris is another key battleground. Once dominated by conservatives, the city has had a Socialist mayor since 2001.
The RN is also targeting Toulon, a city of 180,000 in southern France, which it already ruled under its previous name, the National Front, from 1995 to 2001.
Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe might lose his seat as mayor of the port city of Le Havre, an opinion poll showed, dealing a potential blow to his presidential ambitions for 2027.
The left did well across France in ‌the last ⁠municipal elections in 2020. It is now weakened nationally. Whether it can keep some of the cities it won last time, such as Nantes and Montpellier for the Socialists, or Lyon and Strasbourg for the Greens, will be in focus.
The hard-left France Unbowed, which like the RN has never been strong in local elections, is also hoping to make gains.
The conservative Republicans (LR) have lost heavily in the last national elections but have long been strong in municipal elections.
President Emmanuel Macron’s allies hold relatively few municipalities, limiting the potential for an anti-government vote.
Menton, a quiet Riviera town, is also bound to ⁠attract attention. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s son Louis, openly inspired by Trump-style rhetoric, is a candidate there.

DISPARATE ISSUES MAKE THE OUTCOMES HARD TO PREDICT

Many of the nearly 35,000 separate elections are focused on local issues and are not reviewed by pollsters, making them hard to predict.

Nationwide, security, housing and local taxes are among key issues for voters in this election, surveys show.

Another factor making those elections hard to predict is ⁠how they work. A list that wins more than 50% of the first-round vote takes control of the municipality. Failing that, all lists with 10% or more advance to the second round. This can lead to unpredictable three- or four-way runoffs.

There could also potentially be an impact from the killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who was beaten to death in February in a fight with ⁠alleged hard-left activists. The incident soured the mood towards France Unbowed, polls showed.

WHEN ARE THE RESULTS DUE?

Voting starts at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) on March 15 and closes between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., depending on the size of city. In many smaller towns, the outcome will be decided in the first round. In many medium to large cities, there will be a second round on March 22. Voting times are the same. Results will trickle in on those evenings.

Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alison Williams and Andrei Khalip

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