LIVE: 2026 municipal election results — the left holds Paris, Lyon, and Marseille; Renaissance asserts itself in Bordeaux; and the right wins Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, and Besançon.
Key Takeaways
- Left retains Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.
- Renaissance wins in Bordeaux.
- Right wins Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, and Besançon.
Major city-level results
Live results from Le Monde show the left retaining Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, while Renaissance wins in Bordeaux and the right gains in Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, and Besançon.
“Find all our content on the 2026 municipal elections and our search engine to locate the alliances and mergers concluded during the inter-round period”
Edouard Philippe’s Horizons is re-elected in Le Havre with 47.71% of the vote.
Rennes and Nantes see re-elections of Nathalie Appéré and Johanna Rolland, and the outgoing Lille mayor Arnaud Deslandes keeps the town hall.
In Rodez, Stéphane Mazars (Renaissance) defeats the outgoing mayor Christian Teyssèdre with 49.12% to 39.27%, after merging with left-divers candidate Sarah Vidal.
In the Lyon suburbs, LFI takes Vaulx-en-Velin, Vénissieux, and Saint-Fons, with Abdelkader Lahmar winning Vaulx-en-Velin by a narrow margin (50.49% to 49.51% for Hélène Geoffroy).
The left also gains in Vénissieux with Bassi Konaté, and in Saint-Fons with Hadi Mebarki (40.75%).
In Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire wins the mayoralty with 50.52% over Rachida Dati (41.52%), while Sophia Chikirou of LFI takes 7.96%.
The Greens lose Bègles to Christian Bagate (51.07% to 48.93%), while Corbeil-Essonnes shifts to Samira Ketfi (59.98% to 40.02%).
LFI response and strategy
Jean-Luc Mélenchon hailed the municipal results as a breakthrough for his movement, saying more than a thousand insoumis will sit in municipal councils and that LFI-backed lists helped other left-wing candidates.
He argued that the left’s unity blocked the right and the far right in several cities, while the PS allegedly dragged the movement into its downfall.
He stressed that Paris and Marseille saw withdrawals to avoid a National Rally victory, and he claimed Benoît Payan’s re-election depended on a form of blackmail.
He also framed the results as evidence of the traditional political world collapsing and praised the emergence of Nouvelle France, asserting the results open the cycle toward the 2027 presidential election.
Notable city contests and upsets
Catherine Trautmann returns to Strasbourg as mayor, defeating Jeanne Barseghian.
“Find all our content on the 2026 municipal elections and our search engine to locate the alliances and mergers concluded during the inter-round period”
In Avignon Olivier Galzi (divers droite) wins the City of the Popes, with RN at 21.37% in the second round.
In Bondy, Stephen Hervé of the center-right wins 50.6% over Mehmet Ozguner of LFI.
In Tours Emmanuel Denis, leading a united left, is re-elected with 47.2%.
In Lyon’s 12th arrondissement, Lucie Castets edges Valérie Montandon with 47.5% to 33%.
Implications for national politics
The results underscore ongoing shifts in France’s municipal map: the left strengthens in several urban centers, Greens lose long-held strongholds like Bègles, and Lyon’s Doucet is re-elected with a narrow margin over Aulas amid post-election contestation.
Strasbourg returns to a socialist leadership, Avignon tilts toward a non-affiliated candidate, and Bondy flips to the center-right, signaling a broader realignment.
The narrative set by Mélenchon of a growing, distinct left bloc and a continuing collapse of traditional parties hints at the political terrain shaping the 2027 presidential cycle and beyond.
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