Reunion Island

Socialist Ericka Bareigts, mayor of Saint-Denis in La Réunion, kicked off her municipal election campaign with a packed rally on January 31. Over 7,000 attendees cheered the candidate, who has forged a left-wing union despite local political divisions. In this overseas city of 156,000 residents, the largest in the French territories, she emerges as the frontrunner following the withdrawal of her main opponents.