US EditionLeftists Win Mayoral Elections in Paris and Marseille
Socialists held Paris and Marseille mayoralties as far-right challenges failed; turnout was 57%, marking one of the lowest in recent local elections, pollsters reported.
- On Sunday, pollsters predicted France's two top cities would remain under leftist control after elections, with Marseille's incumbent Benoît Payan re-elected comfortably, according to projections.
- Most communes voted in a first round last weekend, prompting about 1,500 run-offs amid visible campaign activity and turnout at 57 percent, France's lowest apart from 2020.
- In Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, head of the left-wing coalition list, defeated Rachida Dati, supported by Les Républicains and MoDem, on Mar 22, 2026.
- Regional results produced a mixed picture, with the far right's hopes largely quashed and Edouard Philippe re-elected in Le Havre, pollsters predicted on Sunday.
- Regional surprises included a right-wing candidate beating the RN in Toulon and a far-right candidate losing to a Communist in Nîmes, a city of 150,000, as shown in a Mar 22, 2026, photo.
22 Articles
22 Articles
The key decisions of the mayoral elections show that the extreme rights in France still hit a fire wall in many places.
The left retained Paris and Marseilles this Sunday in a tight municipal election, which saw the extreme right and the radical left imponized in mid-towns a year before the presidential election of 2027.
Radical right-wing candidates won in a few cities in the municipal elections, but in the largest cities such as Paris, Marseille, and Lyon, candidates of a different political persuasion gained the majority.
The second round of French municipal elections took place on Sunday, a week after the first round. Based on the preliminary results, it seems that the big issues in most major cities have been decided. As we indicated in the summary after the first round, the results are now being evaluated solely in the context of next year's presidential election.
In more than 1,500 communes in France there have been run-off elections. The National Race Movement has won in several cities, and in Paris the Socialists have probably won.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources lean Left
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