French voters head to the polls on Sunday (15 March) to elect their mayors in a closely watched ballot seen as a test of the strength of the far-right and the resilience of mainstream parties ahead of next year's presidential vote.
Heading nearly 35,000 municipalities- from major cities to villages with only a few dozen residents- mayors are France's most trusted elected officials.
Local results can shape national momentum, especially when they take place so close to the presidential election, which opinion polls show the far-right National Rally (RN) could potentially win.
The anti-immigration, Eurosceptic RN has so far struggled to make meaningful gains in municipal elections.
With candidates in several hundred municipalities, it does not expect a landslide, but it hopes to showcase growing popularity and clinch a few big wins that would further boost its presidential campaign.
"If the people of Marseille make a brave choice ... it will embolden and enlighten the French on the choice they will make next year," Franck Allisio, the RN candidate in France's second-biggest city said.
Allisio is tied in first-round polls with incumbent Socialist Mayor Benoît Payan, providing the RN with a once-unthinkable shot at power in a major French city.
Thousands of separate municipal ballots often focus on very local issues. But opinion polls show security is voters' main priority in that vote, very much in line with the RN's law-and-order focus.
Among the bigger cities the RN is targeting is the southern city of Toulon, with a population of 180,000. It could also win in Menton, a Riviera town where former President Nicolas Sarkozy's son Louis is a candidate backed by centrist parties.
A second round will be held on 22 March in all cities where no single list wins more than 50% of the vote.
While there may be more scope to draw lessons from the second round than the first, all of the election carries high stakes for parties with the April 2027 presidential ballot approaching.
"People want to turn the page and they want to turn it with us," Perpignan's RN mayor Louis Aliot said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he sees progress between Israel and Lebanon after talks with Netanyahu, while Hezbollah has rejected a new ceasefire ...
Colombian singer Shakira will perform the official World Cup song, "Dai Dai", at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City, FIFA announced on F...
Armenians will vote on Sunday in a parliamentary election that will determine whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan secures a new mandate to pursue ...
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on 8-9 June, marking his first trip to the country in nearly seven years as Beijing seeks to stren...
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June 2026, a vote that will shape the country’s political direction for the next five years. Understa...
A French appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio–Paris crash, marking a major development in a case that has stretched on for 17 years.
A Paris appeals court will issue a verdict on Thursday on the 2009 crash of an Air France passenger jet after the airline and planemaker Airbus faced trial over corporate manslaughter.
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) have urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to increase support for countries hardest hit by the conflict in the Middle East.
G7 finance ministers voiced growing concern over rising public debt and volatile bond markets as they met in Paris on Monday following a global sell-off driven by fears that the Iran conflict could fuel inflation.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said in a statement that its Aerospace Force did not strike the Kuwait Airport passenger terminal on Wednesday, and that the destruction was instead caused by a failed U.S. Patriot missile.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire after U.S.-backed talks in Washington. The deal requires Hezbollah to halt attacks and withdraw from southern Lebanon, while both sides will resume direct talks later this month aimed at reaching a broader agreement.
Protesters chanted “I can’t breathe” and threw bins at police in Southampton on Tuesday (2 June) after footage emerged showing murdered teenager Henry Nowak being arrested as he lay dying from a stab wound.
As Armenia heads toward parliamentary elections on 7 June, the country's relationship with Azerbaijan is emerging as one of the defining issues of the campaign, with analysts and international observers highlighting the role of regional politics in shaping voters’ mindsets.
The United Kingdom has begun using SpaceX's Starshield satellite network for military operations, according to people familiar with the matter, marking one of the first known deployments of the secure government-focused system outside the U.S.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on 8-9 June, marking his first trip to the country in nearly seven years as Beijing seeks to strengthen relations with its long-time ally.
A blaze at a popular market in northeast Thailand sent vendors fleeing and left five people in hospital, with police investigating a suspected electrical short circuit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet for direct talks aimed at ending the war between their countries, saying Ukraine remains ready for peace but will continue fighting if no agreement can be reached.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 5 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would provide new aid to Ukraine and impose additional sanctions on Russia, marking the latest instance of Republican lawmakers breaking ranks with President Donald Trump and party leaders.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment