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Montpellier Mayor Michaël Delafosse Launches Re-Election Bid From a Position of Strength

The socialist incumbent enters the 2026 municipal race positioned as a strengthened figure against a fragmented opposition.

Overview

  • He formally announced his second-term run on January 17 in Midi Libre and in a letter to Montpellier residents.
  • His first-term record features free public transport for the Métropole’s 500,000 residents and a fifth tram line inaugurated in December, measures rivals say they would keep.
  • Support for his campaign includes the PCF, PRG, ecologists expelled from EELV, and former LFI deputy Muriel Ressiguier.
  • He rules out any agreement with LFI in either round as he faces businessman Mohed Altrad, LFI MP Nathalie Oziol, EELV’s Jean‑Louis Roumégas, center-right candidate Isabelle Perrein, and RN MEP France Jamet, with ex-mayor Philippe Saurel a possible entrant.
  • A Métropole-backed CSR waste-treatment unit criticized by ecologists as a plastic incinerator is a central point of contention in the race.