Less than a week before the first round of municipal elections on March 15, 2026, recent polls show tight voting intentions in major cities. Le Figaro provides an infographic on trends in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and other areas. Races are especially competitive in metropolises, making first-round wins unlikely.
The campaign for France's 2026 municipal elections enters its final phase. List submissions have closed, and the official campaign began on March 2, 2026. Municipalities must install display panels outside polling stations. The first round is set for Sunday, March 15, with a possible second round a week later on March 22.
In major cities, polls show narrow margins. In Paris, an Elabe-Berger Levrault study for Le Figaro, BFMTV, and La Tribune Dimanche puts Emmanuel Grégoire, head of the left-wing union list, ahead in the first round over Rachida Dati (LR). Outsiders like Sarah Knafo of Reconquête at 10% could prove decisive in the second round depending on alliances.
Sarah Knafo, Reconquête candidate and Éric Zemmour's partner, advocates for 'the union of the rights.' In a Figaro interview, she states: 'All the figures show it: in Paris, without unity, the right loses.' She proposes, if third, a list merger and programmatic agreement with Rachida Dati.
Emmanuel Grégoire, at his first rally, accuses Dati of wanting to turn Paris into a 'facho lab,' implying an approach to the far right. He aims for an appeasing mandate, strengthening the municipal police with 'mini-posts' in certain neighborhoods. David Belliard, the ecologist, withdrew his candidacy to back Grégoire, an union confirmed by Paris militants.
In Marseille, Sébastien Delogu (LFI) campaigns, claiming to have fought 'against the OAS' in Parliament, though that group was dissolved in 1962. Polls also cover Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lille, Rennes, and Le Havre, where dynamics remain fluid.
These trends highlight candidacy fragmentation, favoring crucial vote transfers between rounds.
