PARIS, France, March 15, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - French voters went to the polls on 
Sunday to pick mayors and councillors in elections widely seen as a barometer 
of France's political mood ahead of the high-stakes 2027 presidential race.

Marine Le Pen's ascendant far-right party views next year's contest as its 
strongest chance yet to take power, with centrist President Emmanuel Macron 
constitutionally barred from running again.

The elections in 35,000 villages, towns and cities will take place over two 
rounds held on consecutive Sundays.

Although municipal elections in France tend to revolve around local issues 
and follow a different logic from national contests, analysts say they will 
help gauge the political climate in the EU's second-biggest economy and only 
nuclear power.

While nearly 90 percent of the French communes are small rural constituencies 
where local elections are traditionally depoliticised, the races could 
nonetheless reveal key trends and dynamics, said political scientist Nonna 
Mayer.

"In large towns, national issues will matter more, and they can give some 
hints on the electoral dynamic of the main parties," Mayer told AFP.

Who will win cities like Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Nice will matter, she 
added.

Polling stations opened at 0700 GMT Sunday across mainland France for the 
first round of the elections. Voting began earlier in the French overseas 
territories of New Caledonia, Reunion and Mayotte.

Historically, France's major cities have been governed either by centre-left 
parties or the right-wing Republicans. By contrast, Le Pen's far-right 
National Rally, the hard-left party of firebrand Jean?Luc Melenchon and 
Macron's centrists have struggled to establish a strong local footprint.

- 'We are persistent' -

The National Rally (RN), which currently governs only one major city of more 
than 100,000 inhabitants, Perpignan, hopes to strengthen its local presence 
by capturing urban centres such as Toulon and Marseille, France's 
second?largest city.

A strong performance would mark an important milestone in the RN's 
longstanding effort to gain broader acceptance in the political mainstream. 
The party, which had long faced accusations of antisemitism, sees the 
elections as an opportunity to show it can govern at the local level.

In the lead-up to the vote, Le Pen acknowledged that capturing big cities 
such as Lyon, Bordeaux and Toulouse remained difficult.

"It's fine," she said. "We're very persistent."

In one of the highest-profile contests, former prime minister Edouard 
Philippe is hoping to keep his seat as mayor of the northern port city of Le 
Havre, a role he has held since 2014.

A loss by 55-year-old Phillipe, seen by some as the strongest candidate to 
take on Le Pen or her 30-year-old lieutenant Jordan Bardella, in the 2027 
polls, will deplete his political capital.

All eyes are also on the battle for Paris, where Rachida Dati, a combative 
former culture minister and one-time protege of now convicted ex-president 
Nicolas Sarkozy, hopes to wrest control of the city from the left, which has 
run the French capital for the last quarter-century.

Dati goes neck-to-neck with left-wing candidate Emmanuel Gregoire, 48, and 
the loss of Paris would be a blow to the Socialist Party ahead of the 
presidential campaign.

- 'Health of democracy' -

Many mayoral candidates have distanced themselves from political parties, 
reflecting voters' exasperation with the elites and the paralysis that has 
gripped the country ever since Macron called snap elections in 2024.

Following a record low turnout during the last local elections, held under 
the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, analysts will closely scrutinise the 
2026 races for possible signs of voter fatigue.

"Turnout will tell us about the health of French democracy," said Mayer, the 
political scientist, pointing to "political distrust and disaffection."

If no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first round, the vote will 
proceed to a second round on March 22.

The week between the two rounds is expected to see political parties 
negotiating deals with rivals and joining forces against strong opponents.

"The pattern of tactical voting will offer a preview for next year," said 
Mujtaba Rahman, Europe director at risk analysis firm Eurasia Group.

Results from the first round are expected late Sunday, but the outcome in 
major cities looks uncertain.