French municipal votes give political parties an early stress test before 2027 presidential election

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PARIS (AP) — French municipal elections Sunday gave political parties an early test of their electoral machines before next year’s presidential race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, with a first round of voting for mayors and their teams across France, from small villages to the biggest cities.

Although largely focused on grassroots concerns, the voting was being scrutinized for hints of how parties might fare in the presidential election of 2027, when Macron's second and last term as president ends, and in particular whether the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen is continuing to gain ground.

More than 904,000 candidates for municipal posts in roughly 35,000 villages, towns and cities were on the ballots Sunday. In places where the outcome remains undecided, a second round of voting next Sunday will determine final results.

Attention turned to races in key cities, including Paris, where polling agencies' projections pointed to a possibly suspenseful second-round runoff, with multiple candidates advancing. Official results were expected later Sunday night. Incumbent Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo, elected in 2014 and reelected in 2020, decided against seeking a third term, having steered the French capital through the trauma of extremist attacks in 2015 and the exuberance of the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Another uncertain second-round contest was shaping up in Marseille, France’s second-largest city, with incumbent left-wing Mayor Benoît Payan facing a stiff challenge from the National Rally's candidate, Franck Allisio.

Projections also pointed to a strong showing for the National Rally candidate facing a runoff in the Mediterranean port of Toulon, a major naval base. RN ally Eric Ciotti had a projected first-round lead in Nice, also on the Mediterranean.

The National Rally's president, Jordan Bardella, said voters expressed “a deep desire for change" and appealed for more backing in the second round.

“In 7 days, your vote can change the face of many French towns,” he said. “Change isn’t waiting for 2027. It starts next Sunday.”

Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure urged voters not to hand momentum to the National Rally as it gears up its effort to take the presidential Elysee Palace in next year's election.

“The march of the extreme right to the Elysee isn't inevitable,” he said. “As soon as next Sunday, we can — we must — create new hope for 2027.”

National Rally performances were also being studied for indications of whether the party has been hurt by the possibility that Le Pen herself might be barred from challenging again for the presidency in 2027.

Last year, a French court convicted Le Pen of embezzlement and prohibited her from seeking public office for five years. She is hoping that an appeals court clears her in a key verdict set for July 7. A ruling against her could derail her presidential ambitions.

In towns and cities where three, four or more candidates were projected as advancing from the first round, horse trading in the coming days could see some team up or drop out, narrowing second-round fields.

In the northern English Channel port of Le Havre, former Prime Minister and incumbent Mayor Édouard Philippe came out on top in the first round, official results showed. Winning the runoff against two other candidates who also advanced could give Philippe, who was Macron’s first prime minister, a platform for an expected campaign for the presidency.

The Iran war and its impacts, notably on fuel prices, and other international concerns somewhat drowned out campaigning.

Jérôme Fourquet, director of the opinion department at the IFOP polling institute, said U.S. President Donald Trump and other factors diverted the spotlight from mayoral races.

“We now live at the rhythm of announcements from Trump and of strikes in the Middle East. In this context, there has been very little bandwidth for the municipals,” he said in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper.

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Oleg Cetinic in Garches, France, and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris contributed.