Overview
- The municipal elections are scheduled for March 15 and 22, 2026, with parties finalizing candidate lists in the coming weeks.
- A May 2025 law extends list voting with strict alternating gender parity and ends panachage in communes under 1,000 inhabitants, creating recruitment and organizational challenges for many mayors.
- In Paris, Lyon and Marseille, the PLM reform introduces separate arrondissement/sector and citywide ballots and lowers the majority bonus from 50% to 25%, changes expected to increase pluralism and complicate majority building.
- The Rassemblement National has already designated about 530 heads of list and could surpass 700 by the late‑February deadline, targeting gains especially in southern cities such as Toulon, Nice, Nîmes and Marseille.
- Bardella says second‑round alliances are possible if tied to policy goals, as RN and LFI push for broader local implantation while LR and Macron‑aligned forces take more cautious, divided approaches.