With less than two months until the municipal elections, Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement National, has revealed quantified ambitions for his party, estimating it could win several dozen communes. Marseille is highlighted as the main target, with candidate Franck Allisio neck-and-neck with incumbent mayor Benoît Payan in polls.
The municipal elections on March 15 and 22 are nearing, and Jordan Bardella has unveiled the Rassemblement National's (RN) goals. In an interview on CNews and Europe 1, the young party president stated: "There can be several dozen Rassemblement National communes." Previously reserved on quantified ambitions, the RN will field a record number of lists, at least 650 across France.
This confidence draws from the 2020 results, where "almost all our mayors were re-elected in the first round," Bardella recalled. The party held its strongholds like Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais), Beaucaire (Gard), and Fréjus (Var), and secured a notable win in Perpignan. Yet it lost Mantes-la-Ville (Yvelines) and saw its municipal councilors nearly halve nationwide.
For 2026, the RN aims for broader implantation, including in major cities. Bardella explicitly targeted Marseille: "I hope we can win the city of Marseille," where Franck Allisio "can be the next mayor." Polls show Allisio and the diverse left incumbent Benoît Payan tied, around 30% each.
These municipals offer French voters, per Bardella, a chance to "start alternation in their communes," preparing for the 2027 presidential election. He hopes Marine Le Pen will carry the RN's colors then. "When you go into elections, you rarely go to lose, and I am a fighter," he added, emphasizing his resolve to win "as many as possible" towns.
