Political parties in France are hurriedly trying to negotiate strategic alliances ahead of the final round of local elections this weekend, after a strong showing from the far right and radical left.
This Sunday’s final vote for mayors and local councilors in major cities including Marseille, Lyon and Paris is expected to be close.
The second round of municipal elections is seen as a crucial test of political strategy and alliances ahead of next year’s presidential election. Emmanuel Macron’s two terms in office will come to an end in spring 2027 and there is uncertainty over who will lead the EU’s second-largest economy next.
In Paris, after the weekend’s first round, Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire was solidly ahead of former Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who, however, said she still hoped to win control of the capital for the right after 25 years of the left in power.
Dati spent Monday trying to negotiate a form of alliance with the centrist candidate, Pierre-Yves Bournazel, to boost his chances, even though the two exchanged bitter criticism during the campaign. In a book published during the campaign, The Battle for Paris, Bournazel described Dati during her tenure as justice minister as “drunk with narcissism.” She said he was the “physical embodiment of the world’s stupidest right wing.” He later said he was against the “brutalization” of politics. It was unclear if and how an alliance could be achieved.
In September, Dati will go on trial in Paris for alleged corruption and abuse of power. She is accused of lobbying for the Renault-Nissan automobile group when she was a member of the European Parliament. She has denied any wrongdoing. Grégoire on Monday highlighted the trial and warned that Dati represented the “Trumpization” of political life, saying that an alliance between her and Bournazel “made no sense.”
Meanwhile, Sarah Knafo, a member of the European Parliament for the far-right anti-immigration Reconquista party, made significant gains in the wealthy areas west of Paris, with 10%, enough for a place in the second round. This was a first in Paris, which has not traditionally recorded significant scores for the far right in local elections. Knafo’s partner is television commentator Éric Zemmour, founder of Reconquest and accused of inciting racial hatred.
Sophia Chikirou, a candidate for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left party, La France Insoumise (LFI), also advanced to the second round in Paris and said she was waiting for a call from Grégoire on the best way to block the right. But Grégoire, who is running for a “left union” between parties including the Socialists and the Greens, has ruled out any alliance with Chikirou.
Mélenchon’s party, which over the past decade has not pushed for a strong local presence, this time fielded more candidates and is likely to gain local councillors. Bally Bagayoko won the LFI mayoral race in the first round in Saint-Denis, the second largest city in the Paris region, beating socialist Mathieu Hanotin, who was one of the faces of local politics during the 2024 Olympics.
The LFI is also on track to take Roubaix, a symbol of France’s post-industrial north. In Toulouse, after the LFI scored higher than expected, its candidate made an alliance with the socialist representative, hoping to defeat the current right-wing mayor, Jean-Luc Moudenc, who called it “the alliance of shame.” LFI and Socialist candidates also joined forces in Avignon, in the southeast.
Center-left Raphaël Glucksmann, seen as a potential 2027 presidential candidate, criticized any alliance between the center-left and the LFI, saying that Mélenchon’s party had done well in cities such as Toulouse and Limoges, but that the center-left had done much better across France.
In Marseille, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) scored a strong showing for its mayoral candidate, Franck Allisio, in the first round, just behind incumbent Benoît Payan, who leads the left-wing Printemps Marseillais group, which includes the Socialists and the Greens. The capture of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, would mark a breakthrough for the RN, which has traditionally struggled to gain ground in big cities. The close final round for the mayoralty of Marseille will be one of the most watched this weekend.
Payán refused on Monday to join the LFI candidate who also reached the final round. Payán said he was not willing to “compromise” or “arrangements” and instead asked for “clarity” from the left to vote to keep the RN out of power.
The RN saw 24 mayors elected in the first round. Some runoffs will now be difficult, including in the southern city of Toulon, where other parties could move to try to block the RN.
In Nice, France’s fifth largest city, RN ally Éric Ciotti is well positioned for the final round, largely due to his long local experience in the French Riviera city. He did not run on the RN ticket, but any victory would be claimed by the party as a sign of a new form of alliance between the traditional right and the far right.
Ciotti resigned as leader of the traditional right-wing party, Les Républicains (LR), to join forces with Le Pen in 2024.
