The second round of France’s municipal elections on Sunday is set to be a crucial test ahead of the May 2027 presidential elections.
The leading parties will use the outcomes to bolster their presidential campaigns, with the National Rally (RN) seeking to consolidate its local presence after emerging as France’s largest party in the 2024 legislative elections.
The far-right party had 24 candidates elected outright in the first round, including 10 incumbents in regional strongholds like Pas-de-Calais—home to municipalities such as Hénin-Beaumont and Bruay-la-Buissière—and Perpignan. However, the RN struggled to make significant gains in larger cities, aside from certain areas along the Mediterranean coast.
With candidates contesting in 260 towns in the second round, the RN often faces direct fights without support from other political groups. Jordan Bardella’s appeal for alliances with right-wing parties largely fell flat, resulting in official pacts in only three municipalities.
In Marseille, RN candidate Franck Allisio closely trails incumbent socialist mayor Benoît Payan. The race for control of France’s second-largest city is expected to be tight, with Payan securing support from the withdrawn far-left candidate Sébastien Delogu, while centre-right and right-wing candidates remain in the running, limiting potential votes for the RN.
Elsewhere in southern France, the RN has its sights on other major cities, including Toulon, Nîmes, and Carcassonne, where it led the first round with over 30% of the vote.
An outcome of interest may play out in Nice, where RN ally Éric Ciotti is vying for victory in a duel against incumbent mayor Christian Estrosi, creating a bitter contest in the country’s fifth-largest city.
In Paris, the political landscape is equally poised for intrigue. After 25 years of leftist governance in the capital, Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire led the first round with 38% of the vote, ahead of Rachida Dati, a former Culture Minister and Republican candidate, on 25%.
Despite facing allegations of corruption and passive influence trafficking, Dati gained support from centre-right candidate Pierre-Yves Bournazel and Reconquête party candidate Sarah Knafo, who withdrew from the second round. Marine Le Pen also encouraged voters to rally behind Dati to block the left.
The race in Paris remains highly competitive, as far-left candidate Sophia Chikirou chose to remain in the running, reducing the chance of far-left votes transferring to Grégoire in the second round.
The second round also puts the spotlight on the often fraught alliances between France’s Socialist Party (PS) and the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI). Despite their political differences, some local socialist candidates have teamed up with LFI, notably in Lyon and Nantes. In Toulouse, the PS backed an LFI candidate, who came second in the first round, hoping to defeat the conservative incumbent mayor.
National PS leader Olivier Faure ruled out a broader alliance with LFI, citing concerns over racism and antisemitism scandals linked to its leadership. However, he defended local pacts, saying, “The programmes of merged lists contain no discrimination, no racism, no antisemitism.”
These partnerships have sparked mixed reactions within the left. MEP Raphaël Glucksmann criticised the moves as neither “ethically sound” nor “electorally beneficial.” Questions remain about the impact of these alliances on left-wing forces leading up to the presidential battle in 2027.
A likely winner in the municipal polls is Édouard Philippe, the former centre-right Prime Minister, who seems poised to secure re-election in Le Havre, further strengthening his position ahead of his declared 2027 presidential campaign.
Despite a few major contests still hanging in the balance, a vast majority of France’s 35,000 communes have already decided their mayors in a first round marked by a historically low turnout of 42% (excluding pandemic years).
