Candidates for 2026 municipal elections must include women in villages
A new application of the parity law requires candidates in the 2026 municipal elections to include women on their lists, even in small villages. This measure aims to promote gender equality in local politics. It applies to communes with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants where electoral lists become mandatory.
France's electoral parity law, adopted in 2000 and strengthened by subsequent amendments, requires balanced representation between men and women in candidacies. For the 2026 municipal elections, this rule explicitly extends to small rural communes, often overlooked in equality debates.
According to the Le Monde article dated October 2, 2025, in villages with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, candidates presenting lists must alternate genders or meet a minimum quota of one woman per three candidates. Previously, in these small entities, individual candidacies prevailed, limiting parity's impact. "This is a significant advancement for rural areas where women are underrepresented," states a local elected official quoted in the article.
The context dates back to the 2021 Senate reform, which amended the electoral code to impose parity lists whenever list voting is used, including in communes with fewer than 350 inhabitants if they choose this mode. In 2020, only 38% of French mayors were women, with a wider gap in rural areas. This 2026 measure could change that, though traditional mayors express reservations about the difficulty of finding committed female candidates.
The article notes that the Interior Ministry oversees implementation, with possible sanctions for non-compliance, such as list invalidation. Feminist associations welcome this step, noting it strengthens local democracy. However, challenges remain, such as entrenched political culture in villages, where positions are often held by historical male figures.