French Far Right Gains in Local Elections Before Runoff Test
Marine Le Pen arrives for a campaign visit to suppport La Fleche's RN mayoral candidate Romain Lemoigne in La Fleche.
Photographer: Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images
The far right improved its showing in the first round of France’s municipal elections on Sunday, signaling momentum for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally ahead of next week’s runoffs and the 2027 presidential race.
Le Pen and her populist allies won outright in Perpignan, clinched a strong lead heading into the second round in Nice — France’s fifth-largest city — and is running neck and neck in Marseille, where a victory would mark a landmark breakthrough for the far right.