Jean-Marc Pujol, LR mayor of Perpignan from 2009 to 2020, calls for votes for incumbent mayor Louis Aliot (RN) in the March 15 and 22, 2026 municipal elections. The two men, former rivals in 2009, 2014, and 2020, unite in a logic of right-wing alliance.
Jean-Marc Pujol, 76 years old and LR mayor of Perpignan from 2009 to 2020, announced his support for Louis Aliot, the current RN mayor, ahead of the March 15 and 22, 2026 municipal elections. The two politicians had faced off in the 2009, 2014, and 2020 polls, where Pujol lost to Aliot in 2020 despite a 'front républicain' with withdrawals from Green-PS candidate Agnès Langevine and Macronist Romain Grau.
'A municipal election always escapes party logic. I have always been a man of the right, I call to vote for the list of union of the rights and the people, that of Louis Aliot,' Pujol declared to AFP on Friday, confirming a rally mentioned on Ici Roussillon. He left LR four years ago, criticizing parties that 'make false routes,' especially En Marche which fielded a list against him in 2020.
Several former Pujol running mates are on Aliot's list, including his partner Fatima Dahine, former first deputy Pierre Parrat, and former security deputy Chantal Bruzi. Pujol justifies the support by a union 'of the rights and the center, as broad as possible,' with a key issue against 'the antisemitism developed by LFI and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.'
A Cluster 17 poll for Politico places Aliot leading in the first round with 46% voting intentions, ahead of Agnès Langevine (PS-Place Publique) and Mickaël Idrac (Insoumis), at 15% each. This rally strengthens Aliot's position in the city won by RN in 2020.