PARIS (AP) 鈥� French municipal elections Sunday gave political parties an early test of their electoral machines before next year鈥檚 presidential race to succeed President with a first round of voting for mayors and their teams across France, from small villages to the biggest cities.
Although largely focused on grassroots concerns, the voting was being scrutinized for hints of how parties might fare in the presidential election of 2027, when Macron’s second and last term as president ends, and in particular whether the far-right National Rally party of is continuing to
More than 904,000 candidates for municipal posts in roughly 35,000 villages, towns and cities were on the ballots Sunday. In places where the outcome remains undecided, a second round of voting next Sunday will determine final results.
Attention turned to races in key cities, including Paris, where polling agencies’ projections pointed to a possibly suspenseful second-round runoff, with multiple candidates advancing. Official results were expected later Sunday night. Incumbent Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo, elected in 2014 and reelected in 2020, decided against seeking a third term, having steered the French capital through the trauma of and the exuberance of in 2024.
Another uncertain second-round contest was shaping up in Marseille, France鈥檚 second-largest city, with incumbent left-wing Mayor Beno卯t Payan facing a stiff challenge from the National Rally’s candidate, Franck Allisio.
Projections also pointed to a strong showing for the National Rally candidate facing a runoff in the Mediterranean port of Toulon, a major naval base. RN ally Eric Ciotti had a projected first-round lead in Nice, also on the Mediterranean.
The National Rally’s president, Jordan Bardella, said voters expressed 鈥渁 deep desire for change” and appealed for more backing in the second round.
鈥淚n 7 days, your vote can change the face of many French towns,鈥� he said. 鈥淐hange isn鈥檛 waiting for 2027. It starts next Sunday.鈥�
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure urged voters not to hand momentum to the National Rally as it gears up its effort to take the presidential Elysee Palace in next year’s election.
鈥淭he march of the extreme right to the Elysee isn’t inevitable,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s soon as next Sunday, we can 鈥� we must 鈥� create new hope for 2027.鈥�
National Rally performances were also being studied for indications of whether the party has been hurt by the possibility that Le Pen herself from challenging again for the presidency in 2027.
Last year, Le Pen of embezzlement and prohibited her from seeking public office for five years. She is hoping that an appeals court clears her in a . A ruling against her could derail her presidential ambitions.
In towns and cities where three, four or more candidates were projected as advancing from the first round, horse trading in the coming days could see some team up or drop out, narrowing second-round fields.
In the northern English Channel port of Le Havre, former Prime Minister and incumbent Mayor 脡douard Philippe came out on top in the first round, official results showed. Winning the runoff against two other candidates who also advanced could give Philippe, who was Macron鈥檚 first prime minister, a platform for an expected campaign for the presidency.
The and its impacts, notably on , and other international concerns somewhat drowned out campaigning.
J茅r么me Fourquet, director of the opinion department at the IFOP polling institute, said U.S. President and other factors diverted the spotlight from mayoral races.
鈥淲e now live at the rhythm of announcements from Trump and of strikes in the Middle East. In this context, there has been very little bandwidth for the municipals,鈥� he said in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper.
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Oleg Cetinic in Garches, France, and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris contributed.
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