French Municipal Runoffs: Left Strikes Local Deals With LFI as Paris and Marseille Refuse Alliances

Overview

• Marseille’s incumbent Benoît Payan formally filed his second‑round list and ruled out any arrangement with LFI, setting up a four‑way contest with RN’s Franck Allisio, LR‑centrist Martine Vassal and LFI’s Sébastien Delogu.
• In Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire leads with about 38% and faces a potential five‑way second round that includes Rachida Dati, Sophia Chikirou, Pierre‑Yves Bournazel and Reconquête’s Sarah Knafo, as Grégoire declines a fusion with LFI.
• Toulouse’s main left lists unveiled a joint slate, with LFI’s François Piquemal as the mayoral candidate and PS‑Ecologistes’ François Briançon designated for the metropolitan leadership.
• Local PS–LFI agreements were also announced in Nantes, Avignon, Lyon, Grenoble, Besançon, Limoges, Brest and Clermont‑Ferrand, despite the absence of a national pact between the parties.
• Turnout was estimated around 56% to 58.5%, below 2014 levels, and RN secured outright first‑round wins in Perpignan for Louis Aliot and in Fréjus for David Rachline.