Map: how did French parties perform in first round of municipal elections?

France is gearing up for the second round of the 2026 municipal elections on Sunday (March 22) to decide council seat share and mayors in communes for the next six years. 

Tight races are expected in major cities such as Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Lyon, as well as dozens of other towns and cities.

In many communes – including some of the nation’s larger towns – the victor is already known after receiving an absolute majority of votes (50% or more) in the first round.

The map below provides an at-a–glance overview of the results in 150 of France’s largest towns and cities. 

It shows the party affiliation of the candidate that gained the most votes in the first round last Sunday (March 15). 

Where cities are listed in bold the candidate received an absolute majority and has been elected.

The map does not account for several alliances already in place – and those that have formed since the first-round results. 

The Greens, Socialists, and Communists formed a wider alliance, running a single candidate in many major cities. 

Candidates leading in Bordeaux, Paris, and Lyon are all running under a joint banner for these three parties.

Elsewhere in cities such as Toulouse, temporary alliances have formed between the left and far-left candidates in an attempt to block far-right candidates from winning. 

Alliances among other parties, and voters looking to tactically eliminate a candidate can also mean that results on Sunday may be markedly different to the first round in cities across France.