First results from French local elections: The far right misses out on victory in two major cities. Socialist candidate wins in Paris
French people in 1,500 cities voted on Sunday in the second round of the country's municipal elections, according to Le Monde. The candidates of the far-right National Rally (RN) failed to win in Marseille and Toulon, according to the exit poll results cited by Reuters, while in Paris a victory of the socialist Emmanuel Grégoire is looming, notes France 24.
In nearly 96% of France's cities, representing a population of nearly 42.6 million people, the municipal elections were already decided in the first round, which took place last Sunday.
Today, the French in the 1,500 towns and cities where the fight remained unsettled were called to the polls again to elect their local councils and mayors.
In Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, candidate of a left-wing coalition, had a comfortable lead over the conservative Rachida Dati, according to exit poll results, France 24 wrote. He also won the first round, with a score of 38%. Dati had obtained 25.5% of the votes.
Defeats for the RN at Marseille and Toulon
In Marseille, France's second largest city, incumbent mayor Benoit Payan, a socialist, was re-elected with 56.3% of the vote, according to an Elab poll for BFM TV. Other polls still have him as the winner.
In Toulon, centre-right candidate Josée Massi was leading with 53.5%, according to the Elab poll for BFM TV. RN candidate Laure Lavalette, credited with a score of 46.5%, conceded defeat.
Conversely, also in the south, Eric Ciotti, a former mainstream conservative who has since become an ally of the RN, won in Nice, France's fifth largest city, according to exit polls.
Former Prime Minister Philippe, given the winner of the exit polls in Le Havre
In the north of the country, in Le Havre, former prime minister Edouard Philippe was re-elected as mayor, according to TF1 and LCI televisions, strengthening his status ahead of a possible run in the 2027 presidential election.
Center-right Philippe, one of centrist President Macron's premiers, said his victory showed “there is reason to have hope” in France's values and that extremes can be defeated.
Instead, Manuel Bompard, national coordinator of the far-left France Insubordinate (LFI), believes “traditional parties are losing ground”. A fop-Fiducial poll for TF1, LCI and Sud Radio shows that LFI is on course to win Roubaix, a city in northern France with a population of nearly 100,000.
