France’s left-wing coalitions held the mayoralties of Paris, Marseille and Lyon in the 2026 municipal elections, while Marine Le Pen’s National Rally said it increased its number of mayors to about 70 nationwide. The results also exposed continuing strains inside the left as conservatives and the far right notched gains in smaller and midsize cities.
France’s left-wing parties retained control of the country’s three largest cities—Paris, Marseille and Lyon—after municipal elections held on March 15 and March 22.
The left also won in the working-class suburb of Saint-Denis, electing a new progressive mayor who highlighted his immigrant roots, and it captured a handful of additional cities, including Saint-Étienne, Nîmes, Amiens and Pau.
Municipal governments in France shape local policy on areas such as housing, culture and the funding of primary schools, giving mayors and city councils significant influence over day-to-day public services.
Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) did not take most of its top-profile targets in the largest cities, but the party said it multiplied its mayoralties by six and now controls about 70 town halls nationwide. The Nation reported that RN gains extended beyond its traditional strongholds in parts of northern France and Provence to include wins in places it characterized as less favorable terrain, including parts of central and southwestern France and Alsace.
One of the most closely watched contests was Nice, France’s fifth-largest city, where Éric Ciotti—an RN-backed conservative who broke with Les Républicains (LR) after aligning with Le Pen’s camp—won the mayoralty, defeating incumbent Christian Estrosi, according to French media reports.
Analysts and commentators have said the far right’s growing municipal base could help it in the Senate, whose electoral college is dominated by local elected officials.
The elections also underscored tensions within the left. In Marseille, La France Insoumise (LFI) lawmaker Sébastien Delogu withdrew between rounds after taking about 12% in the first round, while in Paris, LFI candidate Sophia Chikirou stayed in the runoff but finished with roughly 8%, The Nation reported.
While LFI won some local seats and a limited number of mayoralties, The Nation and Le Monde’s analysis cited by the magazine said many of those results depended on broader alliances with the Socialists, Greens and Communists—parties that continue to hold far more municipal posts.
The vote came nearly two years after the creation of the New Popular Front alliance, which brought the main left-wing parties together nationally but has since been strained by internal disputes. With the 2027 presidential election approaching, the municipal results offered fresh evidence of both the left’s resilience in major urban centers and the growing local reach of the far right and its allies.
