Health Minister Stéphanie Rist won the second round of the by-election in Loiret's 1st constituency with 62.1% of the votes, against Rassemblement National candidate Tiffanie Rabault. The vote, marked by a record abstention of 69.6%, allows her to keep her government position. The win comes amid low turnout.
The second round of the by-election took place on Sunday, January 25, 2026, in Loiret's 1st constituency, triggered by her substitute's refusal to replace Stéphanie Rist in the National Assembly. The Health Minister, a member of Renaissance, secured 62.1% of the expressed votes, against 37.9% for Rassemblement National (RN) candidate Tiffanie Rabault, according to Loiret prefecture figures. Abstention reached 69.6%, following 70.6% in the first round.
First elected in 2017, Stéphanie Rist, a rheumatologist by profession, has become a key macronist figure in Loiret. As former rapporteur for the Social Security budget, she has recently faced a strike by liberal doctors. In the first round, she garnered 33.9% of the votes, ahead of Rabault (27.2%) and left-ecologist Ghislaine Kounowski (27.1%). Rabault qualified with just eleven more votes than Kounowski.
This victory enables Rist to retain her ministerial post, held since October 12 last year. She had pledged to resign if defeated and will appoint new substitute Marie-Philippe Lubet, Horizons mayor of Saint-Denis-en-Val. “I am delighted to have won this election in a difficult context,” Rist reacted, highlighting her clear lead over the RN candidate. She added that her substitute will arrive “very quickly” at the Assembly due to ministry workload.
Renaissance Secretary General Gabriel Attal hailed the result on X: “the voters have chosen competence, work, and proximity, and also the path outlined by Renaissance for the country.”
In the July 2024 legislative elections, Rist had previously defeated Rabault in the second round (67.7% against 32.3%), after Kounowski's withdrawal to block the RN.
