Mar 22, 2026, 9:31 p.mMar 22, 2026, 9:42 p.m
According to projections, Emmanuel Grégoire’s list received 51 percent of the vote.Image: keystone
According to initial projections, the Socialists and their allies prevailed in Paris and Marseille in the French local elections. Marseille’s previous mayor Benoît Payan’s list could have received 53 and 54.6 percent of the votes, respectively, according to the opinion research institutes Ifop and Ipsos. His right-wing nationalist opponent Franck Allisio from Rassemblement National, who finished just behind him in the first round of voting, would get 41.5 or 39.1 percent of the vote.
Even in the capital, where until recently it was completely unclear how the election might turn out, the Socialists defended the leadership of the town hall. According to projections by Ifop and Ipsos, Emmanuel Grégoire’s list received 51.1 and 51.8 percent of the vote, respectively. The conservative and former culture minister Rachida Dati is likely to end up behind with her list at only 38.4 to 39.6 percent. This is a bitter setback for the conservatives and the centrist camp, who wanted to jointly initiate a change of power in Paris.
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. (sda/dpa)