2026 French municipal elections: Results in key cities
Le Monde.fr1 day
France: Socialists Win Paris, RN Makes Gains in Local Elections
Is France's left holding the line against the far right or is the RN quietly building an unstoppable national force?
Above: The new Mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, in Paris, France, on March 22. Image credit: Benjamin Vodant/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
The left held its ground where it mattered most, keeping Paris, Lyon and Nantes whilst making bold new gains in cities like Roubaix, Saint-Étienne and Nîmes. Despite predictions of a right-wing surge, popular unity and the promise of real social transformation projects stopped the RN cold. These results prove the extreme right's rise to national power is far from inevitable when progressive forces actually unite.
Right narrative
The RN's local strategy is paying off — dozens of mayors and thousands of municipal councilors elected proves this is a party with deep, durable roots across France. In Perpignan, Louis Aliot won outright in the first round with 51.4%, and Toulon nearly doubled its RN vote from six years ago. The national right is consolidating fast, with the 2027 presidential elections firmly in sight.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 50% chance that France will transition to a Sixth Republic by May 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Public Figures
Political split
LEFT
RIGHT
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0