Today marks the beginning of the official campaign for the first round of municipal elections, which will be held on March 15th. The Ministry of the Interior has identified over 904,000 candidates for 514,000 municipal council positions to be filled. For the first time, there are equal numbers of men and women candidates.
This marks the first time because, until now, the law required the formation of gender-balanced lists, alternating between a man and a woman, only in municipalities with over 1000 inhabitants. In smaller municipalities, with fewer than 1000 residents, the lists varied in size and were put together without any constraints.
In the past, voters could scratch off the names of certain candidates they disliked and even add names of people who were not officially running. This was known as “panachage,” a practice that perpetuated the idea that holding power is primarily a man’s affair, especially in villages.
Elections often resulted in more male representatives than female ones being sent to municipal councils. After the 2020 election, only 37% of women were elected in municipalities with less than 1000 inhabitants, compared to 63% of men, reflecting a ratio close to one-third/two-thirds.
From now on, true parity will be enforced everywhere. A law passed less than a year ago in May 2025 put an end to panachage and mandated gender-balanced lists in villages, which will be applied for the first time this year in 2026. This change will impact many voters, considering there are over 25,000 municipalities with under 1000 inhabitants in France, out of a total of 35,000.
The feminization of local politics is progressing, as evidenced by the recent laws promoting gender parity and legislative measures facilitating women’s engagement in public life. For instance, in 2019, a law was enacted to cover childcare costs, allowing mothers to attend meetings or municipal councils held in the evenings.
More recently, a law passed in December 2025 regarding the status of elected officials ensures that female officials continue to receive function compensation during maternity leave. This addresses a concern raised by the mayor of Poitiers, Leonor Moncond’huy, two years ago.
Progress has been made over the years, with the percentage of female mayors increasing from 1% in 1965 to 20% today. However, resistance persists in the political sphere, with many women facing challenges and discrimination in political engagement, both at the local and national levels.
Resistance to female participation is also evident collectively, as France has yet to elect a female president, despite having had 25 male presidents since Louis Napoléan Bonaparte in 1848.
