Marseille: The French far right's steady ascent cleared another milestone on Sunday as Marine Le Pen's National Rally posted its best-ever results in the first round of municipal elections, which are seen as a test of its presidential ambitions. Incumbent Louis Aliot was comfortably re-elected in Perpignan, the only city with a population above 100,000 that the party already managed. National Rally candidates also led the first round in Toulon and were neck-and-neck with the left in N®mes and Marseille, France's second-largest city.
According to France24.com, the party's president, Jordan Bardella, said voters expressed "a deep desire for change" and appealed for more backing in the second round on March 22. "In 7 days, your vote can change the face of many French towns," he stated. "Change isn't waiting for 2027. It starts next Sunday." Over 904,000 candidates were vying for elected posts in roughly 35,000 municipalities across the country, ranging from major cities to small villages.
The lead-up to the vote was heavily influenced by the fallout from the Iran war, notably its impact on fuel prices. Voter turnout was less than 59%, an increase from the Covid-affected mayoral elections in 2020, but down from the 63.5% registered in 2014. Although mayoral elections are often fought on local issues, they also gauge the public mood, measure party strength, and generate momentum-particularly with a presidential contest just around the corner, which polls suggest Le Pen's party could win.
Traditionally underperforming in municipal polls, the eurosceptic, anti-immigrant party stands to gain credibility ahead of the 2027 presidential election if they secure breakthrough wins in the coming Sunday's runoffs. The 10% threshold to qualify for the March 22 runoffs means that three-, four-, or even five-way races are possible, making outcomes challenging to predict.
With France's fractious left increasingly divided and the once-solid barrier preventing mainstream conservatives from allying with the far right showing signs of erosion, attention is turning to potential coalition-building as parties either form alliances in some constituencies or withdraw from others. Surveys have long shown mayors to be France's most popular elected officials, leaving less scope for the type of protest vote that once propelled the far right.
However, Le Pen's National Rally has evolved beyond being merely a magnet for discontent, becoming the largest single party in the French National Assembly following a snap election in 2024. Opinion polls leading up to the vote indicated that security was voters' main concern, aligning with the party's law-and-order focus. This has attracted many voters in violence-stricken Marseille, where RN candidate Franck Allisio is tied with Socialist mayor Beno®t Payan.
Payan warned that the cosmopolitan city falling into the hands of the far right would be "an earthquake for the country." In further evidence of conservative voters drifting to the far right, €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬°ric Ciotti, former leader of the centre-right Les R©publicains and now a Le Pen ally, took a commanding lead in Nice, 10 points ahead of longtime mayor Christian Estrosi from Macron's centre-right alliance.
Le Pen's party surge comes amid the possibility that the veteran far-right leader could be barred from challenging again for the presidency. Last year, a French court convicted her of embezzlement and prohibited her from seeking public office for five years. Le Pen hopes an appeals court will clear her in a verdict set for July 7-otherwise, her lieutenant Bardella is expected to step in as the party's €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬°lys©e Palace candidate.
While the National Rally celebrated its success, mainstream parties showed resilience, especially in major cities, with the radical left celebrating its own unexpected breakthroughs. Socialist candidate Emmanuel Gr©goire led the marquee race for Paris with a significant lead over conservative Rachida Dati, while far-right rising star Sarah Knafo appeared to underperform.
Former Prime Minister €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬°douard Philippe fared better than expected in Le Havre, building a 10-point lead over his Communist rival. Seen as a strong candidate to challenge the far right next year, Philippe suggested he might drop out of the presidential race if he failed to win re-election in the port city. As the second round approaches, the key question is whether other parties will unite to keep the National Rally out of power or if it can attract enough mainstream right candidates and voters.
Bardella reached out to "sincere right-wingers" and "independents," urging them to join his party in bringing about "change." Meanwhile, hard-left leader Jean-Luc M©lenchon called for an "anti-fascist front" to prevent the far right from gaining power. Socialist leader Olivier Faure, whose party ruled out renewing its alliance with M©lenchon's France Unbowed, urged voters not to give momentum to the National Rally ahead of next year's presidential race. "The march of the far right to the €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬°lys©e Palace is not inevitable," he said. "As soon as next Sunday, we can-we must-create new hope for 2027."