In Nîmes, two right-wing factions vie for the succession of Mayor Jean-Paul Fournier, who is not seeking re-election in the municipal elections. Julien Plantier and Valérie Rouverand have formalized their electoral alliance, while Franck Proust remains loyal to the Fournier clan. These divisions could benefit the united left and the National Rally.
Nîmes, France's largest city held by Les Républicains with 150,000 residents, is gearing up for tense 2026 municipal elections. Outgoing Mayor Jean-Paul Fournier, after four terms, has decided not to run again, opening the door to infighting within the right.
The campaign began in January 2025 when Julien Plantier, 40, a former LR first deputy mayor, broke ranks by running as a dissident. For a year, tensions have escalated between his faction and that of Franck Proust, 62, president of Nîmes Métropole, first deputy, and former MEP, a Fournier loyalist. The two camps have clashed through local media, rife with betrayal claims and sharp jabs.
On January 10, on Place Questel in the city center, over 700 people gathered to hear the surprise alliance announcement between Plantier and Valérie Rouverand, Gard department chair of Renaissance. This duo aims to shake up the race by formalizing their joint list.
Opposing them is a united left list, excluding La France insoumise, and the National Rally, featuring a party figure, both potentially gaining from the right's fratricidal splits.
