The municipal elections, whose second round ended on Sunday, are the last before the 2027 presidential election. How to interpret these results in a fragmented political landscape where the presidential party was not very present? Can these municipal elections be seen as a vote of disapproval? To answer these questions, Guillaume Erner speaks with the political scientist Jérôme Fourquet.
Jérôme Fourquet reacts to the announcement of the death of Lionel Jospin on Monday, March 23: “There is a nostalgia on the left for the Jospin years.” Jean-Luc Mélenchon paid tribute to his ability to bring all the left-wing parties together. He mentioned that the Socialist Party was electorally dominant, but tensions are high now because it has lost its political leadership.
Fourquet warns against idealizing the past. He highlights the historical division between the Socialist and Communist parties in municipal elections. While they united in the second round to prevent a right-wing victory, the competition was fierce in the first round.
Regarding the Republicans, Fourquet points out two factions within the party. One aligns with Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, while the other believes salvation lies in figures like Édouard Philippe. The dilemma for the Republicans is whether to contest the election in their name or form alliances for reasonable prospects.
Fourquet notes that the Greens lost several cities in the elections, facing competition from the Socialist Party that adopted some of their policies. This shift signifies a cultural victory for the Greens, despite the electoral setback.
In analyzing the situation, Fourquet describes it as a paradoxical effect of the Greens’ cultural victory and electoral underperformance. While they raised awareness and proposed urban policies, they lost some of their core support base. The electoral defeat coincided with a cultural triumph as they successfully influenced even their historical opponents on key issues.
