Everything will be decided in the second round. France held the first round of municipal elections

Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire leads after the first round of municipal elections in Paris. Photo: Telmo Pinto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The main formal difference of this year's municipal elections from the 2020 vote is the comparatively high turnout. Six years ago, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, less than 45% of voters came to the polls, whereas now this figure has exceeded 57%.

The voting took place under a proportional system. To qualify for the second round, a party list must receive at least 10% of the votes.

Most attention was drawn to Paris. The city's mayor, socialist Anne Hidalgo, did not seek a third term.

In the first round, socialist Emmanuel Grégoire took first place with a significant lead (38.3%). The right-wing candidate, former Minister of Justice Rachida Dati, is in second place with 26% of the votes. Also advancing to the second round are Sofia Chikirou (far-left "La France Insoumise", 11.3%), centrist Pierre-Yves Bournazel (11.2%), and Sarah Knafo, who barely crossed the 10% threshold (far-right "Reconquête").

The fate of the elections will be decided in the second round, and candidates are mostly talking about possible coalitions. Grégoire reproached his rival Dati for not saying whether she would unite with the far-right. In turn, "Macronist" Bournazel is ready to support the right only if they do not cooperate with nationalists. Rachida Dati, meanwhile, stated that now is "not the time for division" and called for the unity of "all who do not want left-wing sectarians in power".

In Le Havre, ex-Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, who had previously announced his participation in the presidential elections, leads by a significant margin.

According to polls, in 2027, he has the best chances among centre-right candidates to reach the second round of the presidential race.

In the first round, Philippe garnered 43.8% of the votes. Communist Jean-Paul Lecoq received 33.2%, far-right politician Franck Keller — 15.3%.

In Nice, as expected, far-right politician Éric Ciotti, who secured the support of the "National Rally", leads with 43.2%. Centrist Christian Estrosi received 30.3%.

In Nantes, a struggle is unfolding between socialist Johanna Rolland (35.4%) and Fulgence Chard de Lo ("Les Républicains", 33.8%). "La France Insoumise", with whom the socialists refused to cooperate before the first round, advanced its candidate William Akam to the second round with 11.3%. The far-left have already proposed to Johanna Rolland to create an "anti-fascist front" and merge lists in the second round.

In Marseille, a representative of the far-right "National Rally", Franck Allisio, who took second place with 34.3%, made a similar offer to the right-wing. Socialist Benoît Payan leads after the first round (36.8%).

"Let's unite to defeat the left and the far-left," Allisio stated.

In the first round, the far-left "La France Insoumise" performed better than expected. The party's leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, with whom the socialists refused to cooperate due to his antisemitic remarks and aggressive rhetoric, stated that "La France Insoumise" hopes for victory in Lille and Toulouse, and is also satisfied with the results in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. He called on "traditional leftists" to join a broad coalition to defeat the right and far-right. "'La France Insoumise' is working on forming a united front to defeat the right and the extreme right. The extended hand must be accepted," Mélenchon declared.

The "National Rally" is also satisfied with the first round. In addition to success in Marseille and Nice, the far-right achieved the re-election of mayors representing the party in several cities, including Perpignan. The "National Rally" also managed to win outright in the first round in three cities in the north of the country.

The second round of municipal elections will take place on Sunday, March 22. This is the last major vote before the 2027 presidential elections.

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