In Marseille, tensions are rising between incumbent mayor Benoît Payan and La France insoumise candidate Sébastien Delogu ahead of the 2026 municipal elections. Delogu accuses Payan of pursuing a Macronist policy, while Payan blames his rival for choosing division. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen is supporting RN candidate Franck Allisio, heightening the far-right threat.
The 2026 municipal elections in Marseille promise to be contentious, with a marked divide within the left. Incumbent mayor Benoît Payan, labeled divers gauche since December 2020, faces a dissident candidacy from Sébastien Delogu, a Bouches-du-Rhône deputy for La France insoumise (LFI). On January 15, Delogu presented his program at a meeting in a Canebière cinema in the 1st arrondissement, surrounded by militants and future running mates. Comprising nearly 400 proposals, the program aims to « accelerate everywhere » to address the city's social fractures, echoing some 2020 Printemps marseillais promises but with a more aggressive approach.
Delogu accuses Payan of pursuing a « Macronist policy » and groups him, along with divers droite candidate Martine Vassal and RN leader Franck Allisio, in a « corrupt political system » he vows to overthrow. Payan retorts that Delogu, whom he once called « my Seb » before the turbulent 2024 legislative elections, has « chosen division » and « must assume it to the end ». Despite the RN threat, a union in the second round, scheduled after March 15, remains uncertain, with voices urging the two candidates not to jeopardize a merger.
On January 16, Marine Le Pen, head of the Rassemblement national (RN), made her first campaign trip to Marseille to support Franck Allisio, the left's main challenger. Present for about 20 hours, she enjoyed a bath of militant fervor at the deputy's New Year's greetings event, despite protests by 500 young antifas outside Parc Chanot in the 9th arrondissement, who displayed banners and smoke. Delogu reiterated that he is « the main enemy of the RN in Marseille », while expressing surprise at social media accusations from Le Canard enchaîné, claiming he is playing into the far right's hands: « When everyone knows I never speak to RN people ».
Le Pen's visit aims to boost Allisio's campaign, away from the Paris appeal trial of the party's European parliamentary assistants.
