The second and decisive round of local elections is coming up in numerous major French cities.
March 22, 2026, 05:59March 22, 2026, 05:59
In cities like Paris, Marseille and Lyon, a decision is being made about who will lead the town hall in the future – and the outcome of the election is still very open. Results are expected from 8 p.m. However, it will probably take a while until the end of the counting. A year before the presidential election, the vote is also seen as a test of sentiment.
There could be a change in political direction in Paris after more than 25 years.Image: keystone
Second round in more than 1,500 communities
In total, elections are held in more than 1,500 French municipalities. In the remaining more than 33,000 mostly smaller communities, a winner was already determined after the first round of voting last Sunday. Voting will now take place in those places where no one has achieved an absolute majority. All lists that received more than ten percent of the votes are allowed to compete in the second round.
In local elections, French residents do not vote directly for a mayor. They elect the members of the future town hall, who then elect their boss. Since the list that ends up at the top gets a fixed number of seats on the council, this list usually also includes the mayor.
Is Paris run conservatively and Marseille right-wing nationalist?
There could be a change of power in Paris after more than 25 years of socialist rule. The candidate from the Socialists, Greens and Communists, Emmanuel Grégoire, was clearly ahead in the first round. Center candidate Jean-Yves Bournazel then joined the conservative Rachida Dati’s list and the right-wing extremist Sarah Knafo withdrew her candidacy in favor of Dati. With the left-wing Sophia Chikirou, Grégoire also has an opponent in his own electoral circle. Polls predict a close outcome.
Even in France’s second-largest city, Marseille, it is not yet clear whether the left-wing candidate Benoît Payan can remain mayor or whether the right-wing nationalist Franck Allisio from the Rassemblement National will overtake him. It would be an enormous victory for the right-wing nationals if they were to put Marseille ahead and thus probably appoint the mayor in the future.
Lyon in eastern France is also very hotly contested. The previous Green mayor Grégory Doucet ended up virtually neck and neck in the first round with football manager Jean-Michel Aulas, who entered the race for the conservatives and centrist forces. Now he has joined forces with his left-wing competitor Anaïs Belouassa-Cherifi to outdo Aulas.
Mood test but with limitations
The local elections are also being watched with excitement, as the vote a year before the presidential election is in a way seen as a mood test. However, the vast majority of people are guided by local issues in local elections. Especially in the cities, the national level also plays a greater role in the electoral decision.
However, hasty conclusions should not be drawn because voting sometimes differs greatly at local and national levels. This is also because some parties, such as the presidential party Renaissance or Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, are still poorly anchored locally. Last but not least, the renowned polling institute Ipsos assumes that no votes will be cast to punish President Emmanuel Macron and the government, because Macron will no longer be able to run in the upcoming presidential election anyway.
How the parties emerge from the election will still influence how difficult they make it for the government to get their approval for proposed legislation. The local elections can also set the tone for the internal struggle between the political camps over the nomination for the presidential election. (sda/dpa)