One vote and then many go. The first round of the municipal elections resulted in the designation of a winner in around 33,173 communes in France (excluding French Polynesia), which is approximately 95% of the localities where the election was held. However, elsewhere, attention is now turning to the second round. Voters in 1,719 communes will be called back to the polls on Sunday to choose their mayor from the lists that will remain by then. In a increasingly fragmented political landscape, scenarios with more than three qualified lists are multiplying in large cities. Franceinfo provides an overview in two graphics.
The end of the hegemony of the major left and right parties The time when the Socialist Party and The Republicans shared the majority of the municipal cake is now over. The first round of 2026 shapes a political landscape that is increasingly fragmented. This phenomenon is evident with the breakthrough of the National Rally, especially in large cities with over 100,000 inhabitants, where it ranks first in Nice, Toulon, Nîmes, and Perpignan. It is also noteworthy through the rise of a central bloc and lists of all stripes labeled as “various” by the Ministry of the Interior.
Less frequently in first position compared to the National Rally, La France insoumise is another player in this fragmentation. Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s movement has managed to qualify for the second round in eight of France’s ten largest cities. “What could explain these performances is the polarization of the debate and the desire for change in the system: parties that until now couldn’t establish themselves or were marginal, like the National Rally or La France insoumise, seem to be gaining ground. We are going to see a diversification of elected officials,” analyzes political scientist Olivier Rouquan for franceinfo.
Scenarios with four, five, or even six lists for the second round The fragmentation of the political landscape is also reflected in the number of candidates qualifying for the second round, from quadrangular elections to quinquangulares and even sexangulares. Sunday’s vote allowed six candidates to remain in the race in Castres (Tarn), Châtellerault (Vienne), Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin), and Poitiers (Vienne). In nearly half of the cities with over 100,000 inhabitants, there are at least four lists that could participate in the vote next Sunday. Symbolically, Paris has five candidates still in the running: Emmanuel Grégoire (38%), Rachida Dati (25.5%), Sophia Chikirou (11.7%), Pierre-Yves Bournazel (11.3%), and Sarah Knafo (10.4%). All of them obtained the required 10% of votes to qualify.
Now it’s time for alliances, mergers, and withdrawals. But the negotiations are expected to be challenging. Attention is particularly focused on La France insoumise, whose candidates have managed to make it to the second round in most of the country’s largest cities. The lead candidates have until Tuesday at 6:00 PM to decide whether to stay in the race, merge, or withdraw.
