France Elections: Left Holds Major Cities, Far-Right Gains Ground Ahead of 2027 Vote

Socialist candidates retained control of four of France’s largest cities – Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Lille – in municipal elections held this past weekend, bolstering hopes for a strong showing in next year’s presidential election, according to the BBC. But, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (Rassemblement National – RN) achieved gains in numerous smaller towns across the country, prompting party president and potential presidential candidate Jordan Bardella to declare it the “biggest breakthrough” in the party’s history, France24.com reported.

The second round of municipal elections across France saw parties scrambling to form alliances based on the results of the first round. In many areas, hopes for success hinged on quickly forging alliances between the Socialist Party and the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party. However, these efforts were branded “shameful alliances” by right-wing opponents, particularly in light of a recent incident during the campaign where radical left-wing activists were implicated in the death of a far-right activist. Two parliamentary assistants to an LFI member of parliament were arrested during the investigation.

the Socialist Party (PS) announced it would not form alliances with LFI at the national level, citing concerns about the party’s association with what it termed “political untouchables” and antisemitic remarks made by LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Despite this, some Socialist candidates in smaller municipalities sought LFI support. LFI-backed candidates, often in conjunction with Socialist support, achieved successes in several dozen towns surrounding Paris, Lyon, and Lille. However, at the national level, LFI candidates, and left-wing candidates allied with LFI, suffered “disheartening defeats,” according to AFP.

In Toulouse, France’s fourth-largest city and a major center for the aerospace industry, LFI candidate François Pikemal lost to the incumbent conservative mayor, despite the left-wing candidates collectively securing 52.5% of the vote in the first round. Similar defeats occurred in Limoges, while incumbent left-wing mayors who had entered into agreements with LFI lost their positions in Clermont-Ferrand, Poitiers, and Besançon.

Critics of LFI were quick to blame the far-left party for these setbacks. Former French President François Hollande warned that attempts to “unite after the fact” within the French left could lead to a dead end, urging the party to clarify its strategy. Those advocating for distancing LFI gained ground when left-wing candidates who publicly distanced themselves from the party achieved victories in Paris and Marseille.

In Paris, Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire decisively defeated conservative rival Rachida Dati, despite refusing to form an alliance with LFI, effectively splitting the left-wing vote. Marseille’s incumbent left-wing mayor, Benoît Payan, adopted the same strategy, securing a comfortable victory over a far-right candidate. “I can only conclude that LFI doesn’t win, and worse, LFI only creates defeats,” Pierre Jouvet, the PS general secretary, told the BBC after the election results were announced.

While the RN failed to achieve its desired victories in Marseille and Toulon, due to maneuvers by political opponents – such as a Republican candidate in Marseille refusing to withdraw – the party demonstrated its potential strength with wins in numerous smaller towns.

The BBC’s analysis of the election results concludes that mainstream parties were the overall winners. Renaissance, the party supporting President Emmanuel Macron, secured a “morally encouraging” victory in Bordeaux. Macron’s former Prime Minister, Édouard Philippe, was declared the winner in the Norman city of Havre. Philippe is considered a potential centrist candidate for the 2027 presidential election and had stated he would only run if he won the municipal election.

“the elections confirmed the growing strength of the far left in the suburbs of large cities, where there is a higher concentration of immigrant labor and the so-called ‘intellectual proletariat.’ And the far-right RN confirmed its strength in provincial France outside of the major cities. It was the mainstream parties that achieved the greatest successes, offering hope that a candidate from a mainstream party will win the presidential election against a candidate from an extremist political force. The biggest concern is what will happen if two candidates from extremist political forces remain in the second round of the presidential election?” the BBC questioned.