France: local elections – improved results for RN, LFI and the Socialists

Milan, 16 March (LaPresse) – A tight race is expected in several major cities following the first round of local elections held yesterday in France. The best results were achieved by the Rassemblement National (RN), La France Insoumise (LFI) and the Socialists. On the left, heated debates are expected, with parties striving to forge alliances to counter the right and the far right, particularly in Marseille and Paris. The Rassemblement National (RN), which had used the municipal elections as a real-life test ahead of the 2027 presidential elections, has reason to be satisfied. In the municipalities already controlled by Jordan Bardella’s party, a landslide victory was recorded. Its presence in the south of the country has also been consolidated: in Marseille, a city long considered impregnable, the RN candidate will go through to the run-off, whilst in Nice, Marine Le Pen’s ally, Éric Ciotti, has a good chance of victory. La France Insoumise (LFI) also has reason to be satisfied: its candidate holds a clear lead in Roubaix, which could thus become one of the largest municipalities in France administered by LFI. The party has even managed to wrest control of Saint-Denis, the second-largest city in the Île-de-France region after Paris. In the capital, the Socialist Party candidate, Emmanuel Grégoire, has a clear lead and will face former Culture Minister Rachida Dati in the run-off. The same applies to Montpellier, where the outgoing Socialist mayor is set to be re-elected.