France’s far right extended its reach in the first round of municipal elections, with gains reported in parts of southeastern France as voters prepared for a second-round runoff on March 22. The vote was seen by many as a preview of how parties might fare ahead of next year’s presidential election, the last nationwide ballot before the campaign for France’s top office.
According to the Associated Press, voters went to the polls in about 35,000 villages, towns and cities, where the first-round system decided most mayoral races. About 93% of voters selected a mayor in the first round in contests that typically featured mostly one or two candidates not associated with a party, while turnout reached just over 57%, higher than in the 2020 election held during the COVID-19 pandemic but lower than in 2014, according to the French Ministry of Interior.
In the far-right bloc, the National Rally continued to build momentum locally, particularly in southeastern France. The party’s No. 2 figure, Louis Aliot, won by a landslide in Perpignan, while in Marseille, incumbent left-wing mayor Benoît Payan finished the first round neck and neck with National Rally contender Franck Allisio. On the French Riviera, Éric Ciotti — a former conservative who launched his own far-right party in 2024 and later allied with the National Rally — emerged as the favorite for the second round in Nice.
The AP also reported that the far right appeared well positioned in other southern cities including Nîmes and Toulon, a major Mediterranean port and naval base. Control of Paris and other major cities, however, remained undecided as parties turned to the negotiations that will shape which lists can combine in the runoff.
In places where three or more candidates qualified for the second round, negotiations over whether to merge lists were to end before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the AP. The negotiations were especially contested between the traditional left and France Unbowed, the hard-left movement led by veteran firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, which had delivered strong results in several large cities.
The AP said France Unbowed previously had allied with the Socialists, Greens and Communists, but that alliance collapsed after some political rivals accused France Unbowed figures of tolerating antisemitic rhetoric. Critics also blamed the hard left for fueling tensions after a far-right militant was beaten to death in Lyon last month, though the report said some electoral pacts still happened case by case.
One example was Lyon, where the AP reported that incumbent mayor Grégory Doucet, a Green, joined forces with France Unbowed in a tight race against right-wing contender Jean-Michel Aulas, described as a business owner and former football club president. SOS Racisme, an anti-racism group, urged mainstream parties to unite to block the far right and said, in a statement, “No alliance should be ruled out if it helps prevent this party from taking control of new municipalities,” adding that its president was Dominique Sopo.
The report described the National Rally’s weakness in some major urban centers, including limited support reported in cities such as Paris and Lyon. Even where the far right faced stiffer odds, the runoff could shift the picture as voters choose between merged lists and narrowed matchups.
Paris became the focal point for the runoff contest. The AP reported that race for mayor tightened after Emmanuel Grégoire, a left-wing candidate, emerged as the first-round front-runner, while the runoff was expected to be close against conservative rival Rachida Dati. Dati, until recently France’s culture minister, was seeking to end 25 years of left-wing leadership at City Hall, but her career has included controversy, with the AP reporting she is scheduled to stand trial in September on charges of corruption and influence peddling.
Grégoire, a former deputy to outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo, led a coalition that the AP described as including Socialists, Greens and Communists, and he said he would not form a pact with France Unbowed. France Unbowed’s candidate also qualified for the second round, making the outcome, in the AP’s description, highly unpredictable.
Beyond cities like Paris, parties also looked toward the 2027 presidential race. Municipal elections were framed as the last nationwide vote before the race for France’s top job, and a chance for political parties to build local grassroots support. The AP noted that President Emmanuel Macron cannot seek a third consecutive term under France’s constitution, while, in the northern port city of Le Havre, incumbent mayor Édouard Philippe came out first on Sunday and sought a runoff victory that could strengthen his standing as a potential presidential contender.
On the far right, the AP said the National Rally viewed key mayor jobs as a way to demonstrate the party’s ability to lead. It reported that Marine Le Pen had been considered a leading candidate for the presidency but was convicted last year of embezzlement and barred from holding public office for five years, with her appeal pending and a key court decision expected July 7. The AP also said Le Pen’s protégé, Jordan Bardella, would replace her as candidate if she is barred from running, while it added that several other senior left and right politicians have expressed presidential ambitions without a clear front-runner emerging.