As for the far-right 'National Rally', it has strengthened its base.
“There is another way” between the “ideologists of 'Unsubmissive France'” and the “demagogues from 'National Rally',” said the leader of the right-wing 'Republicans' (LR) Bruno Retailleau after the announcement of the results of the mayoral elections in France. According to him, the center-right remains and is more than ever the leading political force at the local level. Retailleau also harshly criticized alliances with the far-left LFI, which were pursued by representatives of the center-left forces.
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the election of 200 mayors from his party 'Renaissance'. The candidate, for example, will be the new mayor of Annecy. “For the first time in France, the 'Renaissance' party will lead a city with a population of over 100,000,” Attal rejoiced.
Jordan Bardella expressed joy over the results of the 'National Rally', calling it “the largest breakthrough in the party's history.” “Never before have the 'National Rally' and its allies had so many elected representatives across France,” Bardella stated. According to him, “these successes are not an end, but merely a beginning” a year before the presidential elections.
Earlier, in the race for the mayor of Paris, socialist Emmanuel Grégoire won, participating in the elections in an alliance with the 'Greens' and communists. The incumbent mayors of Marseille and Lyon — socialist Benoît Payan and 'Green' Grégory Doucet — were re-elected. The former Prime Minister of France Édouard Philippe also retained his position as mayor of Le Havre.
When it comes to the conclusions that parties will draw from the results of the municipal elections, one of the key points will be the question of political alliances and their feasibility — especially in the perspective of the presidential campaign of 2027.
First and foremost, this question will concern the left. The results of the second round of voting indicate that the alliance of socialists and 'Greens' with the far-left 'Unsubmissive France' (LFI) has not always been a guarantee of success. In particular, this happened in Poitiers, Besançon, and Limoges — there, moderate left lists merged for the second round with LFI lists, resulting in power shifting to the right. Meanwhile, in several cities, including Paris, Marseille, and Lille, the opposite is observed: candidates from moderate left did not form an alliance with LFI and maintained their leadership.
“We are a useful force where others are merely opportunists without direction,” said LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He emphasized that his party “came to the aid of many lists of old traditional leftists,” and criticized his allies, noting that the Socialist Party “dragged LFI down.”
Former President and member of the Socialist Party François Hollande also called the strategy of alliances between socialists and LFI controversial. According to him, the party leadership has reached a dead end by agreeing to alliances in the second round without any clear political line. The first secretary of the party “failed to establish clear rules for alliances and demonstrate the necessary authority to determine what is acceptable and what is not,” lamented the former president, hinting at the alliances of socialists with 'Unsubmissive France'.
As for the far-right 'National Rally', it has strengthened its base — incumbent mayors from this party were mostly re-elected. However, in some new cities, the party faced difficulties in the second round: for example, in Nîmes and Toulon, candidates from the 'National Rally' appeared to be favorites based on the first round results, but in the second round — particularly due to the unification of other political forces — they lost.
