Politics and elections in France in 2026: key dates, votes and Brexit talks

Elections

Municipal elections will be held across France on March 15 and 22. They will result in new mayors in at least one third of communes, as many existing mayors have announced they will not stand again, including Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. French and EU citizens will be able to vote.

These elections will also see small communes of fewer than 1,000 residents following the same voting rules as larger ones, including lists balanced by gender, and no more use of panachage, whereby it was possible to strike out some names and add others.

Senatorial elections, for half the Senate, are also due in September. Senators are elected by MPs and local councillors rather than by the general public.

Marine Le Pen

Marine Le Pen’s appeal against her conviction for misappropriating European Parliament funds is due to be heard on January 13. If the ruling is overturned, she would immediately regain her eligibility and with it the possibility of standing in the 2027 presidential election.

As things stand she remains barred from running after a Paris criminal court ruling on  March 31, 2025, sentenced her to four years in prison - two of them suspended - and a €100,000 fine for misuse of public funds, alongside a five-year ban on holding elected office with immediate effect. 

Crucially, that ineligibility applies without waiting for the outcome of the appeal now opening in Paris, meaning that only a full acquittal would allow Marine Le Pen to mount a fourth presidential bid. 

However, Ms Le Pen's judicial battle has also caused her star to wane, according to a recent Verian poll of 1,511 voters conducted by newspapers Le Monde and L'Hémicycle.

The poll, published in early January, suggests that while her personal image among core voters has remained relatively stable, assessments of her political capacity have deteriorated.

Only 55% of respondents consider her capable of making the right decisions (down 12 points) and 50% of understanding voters’ everyday concerns (down 6 points).

At the same time, her political heir and party leader Jordan Bardella was considered more likely to win the presidential election by 49% of voters. Only 18% think Ms Le Pen can win.

Beyond her personal fate, the case has also reignited a broader legal and political debate in France over the use of immediate enforcement for ineligibility sentences, and whether an elected official should be stripped of political rights before a conviction becomes final.

Brexit reset

The UK and EU will hold a second ‘reset’ summit, probably in the spring, which also coincides with the opportunity for a five-year review of the Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). 

Topics such as a planned youth experience visa, the UK’s association with the Erasmus+ university and work-placement exchange scheme, and an easing of plant and animal health checks – which could also see a return of UK pet passports – are likely to be discussed.

G7 group

France holds the presidency of the G7 group this year. On June 14–16 it will host a summit at Evian-les-Bains (Haute-Savoie).