Overview
- Parliament’s May 2025 reform, upheld by the Conseil constitutionnel, ends panachage and requires alternating women‑men lists in communes under 1,000 inhabitants.
- Ballots bearing cross‑outs or additions will now be declared null under the standardized voting rules.
- An AMF/Cevipof‑Sciences Po survey published Friday finds 52% of mayors judge the reform negatively, rising to 68% in communes under 500 residents.
- Local leaders report difficulty assembling full paritary teams, with some expecting only a single list or deciding not to run again.
- If no compliant slate is filed, prefects can refuse the list, appoint a temporary delegation, and after three months attach the commune to a neighbor as a last resort.