Paris, France. French voters went to the polls on Sunday to elect their mayors in a closely watched ballot seen as a test of the far-right and the resilience of mainstream parties ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Voting schedule and possible second round
Voting started at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) and ends at 8 p.m., with preliminary results to be released shortly after. In many medium to large cities there will be a second round on March 22.
Stakes of local elections
Mayors lead nearly 35,000 municipalities in the country, from major cities to villages with only a few dozen residents. Local results can shape national momentum, especially so close to a presidential election, which opinion polls show the far-right National Rally (RN) could potentially win.
Turnout levels
At midday, voter turnout was around 19%, one percentage point up from the midday turnout rate in the first round of the 2020 local elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was down from 23% in 2014.
National Rally’s ambitions
The anti-immigration, eurosceptic RN has so far struggled to make meaningful gains in municipal elections. With candidates in several hundred municipalities, it hopes to show growing popularity and clinch a few big wins that would further boost its presidential campaign.
Marseille contest
“If the people of Marseille make a brave choice … it will embolden and enlighten the French on the choice they will make next year,” Franck Allisio, the RN candidate in France’s second-biggest city, told Reuters. Allisio is tied in first-round polls with incumbent Socialist Mayor Benoit Payan, giving the RN a chance at power in a major French city.
Voter reaction in Marseille
At a polling station in Marseille, construction worker Serge said he was neither worried nor hopeful about the RN.
How will the turnout and major-city results influence the national political momentum ahead of next year’s presidential election?
