Emmanuel Grégoire Wins Paris Mayoral Race as Left Holds Major Cities

Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire won the Paris mayoral race on March 22 with 53.1 (%) — Grégoire's share of the Paris vote of the vote, defeating conservative challenger Rachida Dati, who received 38.1%, in the second round of France's 2026 municipal elections. Grégoire, a member of the Socialist Party and former first deputy to outgoing Mayor Anne Hidalgo, crossed Paris by bicycle after the result was announced, greeted by supporters as he made his way toward the Hotel de Ville. Dati had resigned from the Ministry of Culture to mount her campaign, and had sought to consolidate the right-wing vote by attracting the supporters of centrist Pierre-Yves Bournazel and far-right candidate Sarah Knafo, both of whom withdrew after the first round. Grégoire, by contrast, refused alliance offers from La France Insoumise and ran a unified left list without the Mélenchonists. Hidalgo, who did not seek a third term, celebrated outside city hall with a glass of champagne, saying the result proved what had been called impossible.

„Paris a décidé de rester fidèle à son histoire.” (Paris has decided to remain faithful to its history.) — Emmanuel Grégoire via ANSA

„Je n'ai pas réussi à convaincre suffisamment que le changement était non seulement possible, mais surtout nécessaire.” (I was not able to convince enough people that change was not only possible, but above all necessary.) — Rachida Dati via ANSA

Paris has been governed by the left since 2001, when Bertrand Delanoë became the first Socialist mayor of the capital in the modern era. Anne Hidalgo succeeded him in 2014 and was re-elected in 2020. The 2026 elections were the first in a quarter-century in which the Socialists had to defend the city without an incumbent seeking re-election, making the contest the most open Paris mayoral race in decades.

Bayrou loses Pau by just 344 votes The most symbolically charged result outside Paris came in Pau, where former Prime Minister François Bayrou lost his longtime stronghold to Socialist candidate Jérôme Marbot by a margin of just 344 (votes) — Bayrou's margin of defeat in Pau. Marbot received 42.45% of the vote, ending Bayrou's grip on the southwestern city. The defeat came roughly six months after Bayrou's government fell in September 2025, when the Socialist Party's decision to support a censure motion brought down his administration, leading to the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister. The left also made gains in other cities: in Roubaix, LFI deputy David Guiraud won with 53.19% of the vote, defeating outgoing right-wing mayor Alexandre Garcin. In La Courneuve, LFI deputy Aly Diouara took the city with 51.53% against Socialist Oumarou Doucouré. In the Rhône, LFI also captured Vénissieux from the communists by a margin of 25 votes. In Nîmes, the left took the city from Les Républicains, with communist Vincent Boutet winning 40.97% ahead of the Rassemblement national list.

Emmanuel Grégoire (PS): 53.1, Rachida Dati (LR): 38.1

Right captures Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, and Bordeaux from the left The right recorded significant gains in several major cities that had previously been held by the left or the Greens. The center-right and Les Républicains-aligned candidates captured Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, and Besançon, all previously left-governed. In Bordeaux, Macronist deputy Thomas Cazenave won with 50.95% of the vote, taking the city from Green mayor Pierre Hurmic, who had won it in 2020 during a nationwide surge in ecological politics. Edouard Philippe was re-elected as Mayor of Le Havre with 47.71% of the vote. On the left's side of the ledger, Benoît Payan was re-elected as Mayor of Marseille, defeating far-right challenger Franck Allisio of the Rassemblement national, and Grégory Doucet was re-elected as Mayor of Lyon. Sophie Joissains was re-elected as Mayor of Aix-en-Provence, continuing a family political dynasty in the city. In Saint-Etienne, Socialist Régis Juanico won with 44.13% of the vote, fending off a far-right list.

Far right governs 61 municipalities, including two large cities The Rassemblement National and allied far-right parties now govern 61 municipalities across France, according to data analyzed by Le Parisien, with approximately one and a half million French citizens set to live under far-right mayors over the next seven years. The far right now leads two cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, one more than after the 2020 elections. Marine Le Pen declared an "immense victory" for her party, citing "dozens of municipalities" won in the second round and "thousands of municipal councilors" elected nationwide. However, the RN failed to capture Marseille, which had been seen as a potential breakthrough for the party in a major city, and also lost in Toulon and Nîmes. According to Franceinfo, the left now heads 22 municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, down from 24 in 2020, while the right leads 12 large cities and the center governs six. Turnout in the second round stood at approximately 57%, higher only than the 2020 vote held during the pandemic, according to ANSA.

Far-right control of large French cities: Cities with over 100,000 inhabitants governed by far right (before: 1 (after 2020 elections), after: 2 (after 2026 elections)); Left-governed cities with over 100,000 inhabitants (before: 24 (after 2020), after: 22 (after 2026)); Center-governed large cities (before: 5 (after 2020), after: 6 (after 2026))