2026 Paris municipal election
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15 March 2026 (first round)
22 March 2026 (second round) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 163 members of the Council of Paris 82 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Paris municipal election is scheduled to take place on 15 March 2026 with an eventual runoff on 22 March to elect the 163 members of the Council of Paris, which in turn will elect the Mayor of Paris. This election follows the two-term tenure of Socialist Anne Hidalgo, the first woman to serve as Paris mayor, who announced in November 2024 that she would not seek a third term. The election is expected to be highly competitive, featuring national figures such as Culture Minister Rachida Dati and former Transport Minister Thierry Mariani.
Background
Anne Hidalgo, a member of the Socialist Party (PS), was first elected mayor in 2014 and re-elected in 2020, serving during a period marked by significant events including the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2024 Summer Olympics hosted by the city. Hidalgo focused her administration on urban transformation projects such as the "15-minute city" concept and expanding social housing. Despite some controversies and a decline in popularity, she remained a central figure in Paris politics until her decision not to run again in 2026, endorsing Senator Rémi Féraud as her preferred successor.[1][2]
Electoral system and context
The 2026 election will be influenced by ongoing discussions about electoral reform in Paris.[3] President Macron has proposed that mayors in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille be elected by direct universal suffrage rather than by an electoral college of city councilors, a system currently viewed as "anti-democratic" by some candidates including Rachida Dati.[4]
The election is set against a backdrop of political realignment, with Hidalgo’s departure opening the field for new leadership and competition between the left-wing coalition, Macron’s centrist camp, and the traditional right.[5] Cultural and heritage issues are expected to be prominent in the campaign, especially given the recent appointment of Dati as Culture Minister and her potential veto power over city projects.[6]
Candidates
Lutte ouvrière
- Marielle Saulnier, nurse. [7]
Socialist Party
Nominated
Grégoire is also supported by LE, PCF and PP.[9]
Eliminated
- Rémi Féraud, Senator and Councillor of Paris.[10]
- Marion Waller, director of the Pavillon de l'Arsenal.[11]
Primary results
| Candidate | Party | First round[8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |||||
| Emmanuel Grégoire | PS | 807 | 52,61 | |||
| Rémi Féraud | PS | 680 | 44,33 | |||
| Marion Waller | PS | 46 | 3,06 | |||
| Valid votes | 1,533 | 100,00 | ||||
The Ecologists
Nominated
- David Belliard, Deputy Mayor (withdrew in favor of Emmanuel Grégoire).[12],[9]
Eliminated
- Anne-Claire Boux, Deputy Mayor.[12]
- Fatoumata Koné, Councillor of Paris.[12]
- Aminata Niakaté, Councillor of Paris.[12]
Primary results
| Candidate | Party | First round | Second round[12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| David Belliard | LE | 388 | 48,00 | 468 | 52,60 | |
| Anne-Claire Boux | LE | 217 | 27,00 | 422 | 47,40 | |
| Fatoumata Koné | LE | 121 | 15,00 | |||
| Aminata Niakaté | LE | 81 | 10,00 | |||
| Valid votes | 807 | 100,00 | 890 | 100,00 | ||
The Republicans
Nominated
- Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, Mayor of the 7th arrondissement.[13],[14]
Dati is also supported by MoDem and UDI, and some figures from the presidential camp joined her list.[15]
Withdrawn
Horizons
Bournazel is supported by RE and HOR.[15]
La France Insoumise
National Rally
Mariani is also supported by UDR.[18]
Reconquête
Campaign
The campaign intensified from late 2024 after mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that she would not seek a third term and said she would remain in office until the end of her mandate in 2026 while preparing her succession within the governing left.[20],[21]
Alliances and strategy
After the Socialist nomination was settled, the Socialist Party (PS), Les Écologistes and the Paris Communist Party (PCF) negotiated a joint first-round list, which was announced in December 2025 with Emmanuel Grégoire heading the alliance and David Belliard and Ian Brossat among its leading partners.[22],[23]
To the left of this alliance, La France insoumise (LFI) maintained an autonomous strategy by investing MP Sophia Chikirou, who campaigned on a distinct platform and rejected a first-round agreement with Grégoire.[24],[25]
On the right and centre-right, the campaign featured competition and repeated calls for coordination between Rachida Dati and Pierre-Yves Bournazel, which Bournazel resisted while holding to a “neither Dati nor Grégoire” line and leaving open the possibility of second-round discussions.[26],[27]
On the far right, the Rassemblement national launched a list led by MEP Thierry Mariani, describing the campaign as focused on securing representation on the Council of Paris, while Reconquête! MEP Sarah Knafo announced her candidacy in January 2026 and sought to differentiate her list from the RN in the capital.[28],[29]
Issues
Media coverage and campaign platforms highlighted several recurring themes:
- Housing and social diversity: Access to affordable housing, the balance between social and intermediate housing, conversions of offices to housing, and regulation of the housing market were prominent topics across left-wing programmes and debated by opponents of the outgoing majority.[30]
- Urban mobility and environment: The continuation or recalibration of policies reducing car traffic and expanding cycling and pedestrian space remained central, with debates over circulation, public space and the political legacy of ecological transformation projects in Paris.[31],[32]
- Public safety and cleanliness: Public safety, municipal policing, public lighting and cleanliness featured prominently, particularly in right-wing and far-right campaigns, alongside debates on the organisation of city services.[27],[33]
- Electoral reform: The campaign also took place after the adoption of the 11 August 2025 reform of the “PLM” electoral law for Paris, Lyon and Marseille, which introduced two ballots (for the Council of Paris/municipal council and for arrondissement councils) from the 2026 municipal elections onward.[34],[35]
- Coalition building and fragmentation: Strategic questions included the durability and scope of the PS–Écologistes–PCF alliance against LFI’s independent campaign, and whether the right and the presidential camp could coordinate in a potential second round.[22],[26]
Polling
First round
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
Saulnier LO |
Chikirou LFI |
Belliard LE |
Grégoire PS |
Bournazel HOR |
Dati LR |
Mariani RN |
Knafo REC |
Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 1% | 10% | — | 31% | 14% | 27% | 5% | 12% | — | ||
| Cluster17 | 28-31 Jan 2025 | 1,201 | 1% | 12% | — | 33% | 14% | 26% | 4% | 10% | — |
| Ifop | 20-23 Jan 2026 | 988 | 1% | 11% | — | 32% | 14% | 28% | 5% | 9% | — |
| Ifop | 5-9 Jan 2026 | 983 | 1% | 10% | — | 30% | 16% | 28% | 7% | 8% | — |
| Elabe | 2-9 Jan 2026 | 1,014 | <1% | 11% | — | 33% | 16% | 26% | 5% | 9% | — |
| Belliard withdraws in support of Grégoire | |||||||||||
| Ipsos | 5-12 Dec 2025 | 849 | — | 12% | 14% | 20% | 13% | 27% | 7% | 7% | — |
| — | 13% | — | 32% | 14% | 27% | 7% | 7% | — | |||
| — | 13% | 32% | — | 14% | 27% | 7% | 7% | — | |||
| Cluster17 | 25-29 Nov 2025 | 1,172 | — | 13% | 13% | 21% | 13.5% | 26% | 6% | 6% | 1.5% |
| — | 15% | — | 30% | 14% | 27% | 6% | 6% | 2% | |||
| Ifop | 1-3 Nov 2025 | 1,037 | <1% | 12% | 13% | 20% | 14% | 26% | 8% | 7% | — |
| 1% | — | 19% | 22% | 15% | 28% | 8% | 7% | — | |||
| 1% | 12% | 14% | 22% | — | 35% | 9% | 7% | — | |||
Second round
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
Chikirou LFI |
Grégoire PS |
Bournazel HOR |
Dati LR |
Knafo REC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ifop | 20-23 Jan 2026 | 988 | 12% | 38% | — | 38% | 12% | |
| — | 43% | 16% | 41% | — | ||||
| 14% | 41% | — | 45% | — | ||||
| — | 50% | — | 50% | — | ||||
| Ifop | 5-9 Jan 2026 | 983 | — | 40% | 20% | 40% | — | |
| 12% | 41% | — | 47% | — | ||||
| — | 49% | — | 51% | — | ||||
| Elabe | 2-9 Jan 2026 | 1,014 | 12% | 36% | 17% | 35% | — | |
| 11% | 42% | — | 47% | — | ||||
| — | 48% | — | 41% | 11% | ||||
| — | 50% | — | 50% | — | ||||
| Belliard withdraws in support of Grégoire | ||||||||
| Ifop | 1-3 Nov 2025 | 1,037 | 15% | 34% | 15% | 36% | — | |
| 15% | 40% | — | 45% | — | ||||
| 16% | 39% | 45% | — | — | ||||
| — | 42% | 19% | 39% | — | ||||
Results
| Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Nb. | +/- | |||
| Marielle Saulnier | LO | |||||||
| Blandine Chauvel | NPA-R | |||||||
| Sophia Chikirou | LFI | |||||||
| Emmanuel Grégoire | PS-LE-PCF-PP | |||||||
| Pierre-Yves Bournazel | HOR-RE | |||||||
| Rachida Dati | LR-UDI-MoDem | |||||||
| Thierry Mariani | RN-UDR | |||||||
| Sarah Knafo | REC | |||||||
| Registered voters | 100,00 | 100,00 | ||||||
| Abstention | ||||||||
| Total votes | ||||||||
| Blank or invalid votes | ||||||||
| Valid votes | ||||||||
Arrondissement mayors
| Arrondissement | Outgoing Mayor | Party | Elected Mayor | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | Anne Hidalgo | PS | ||||
| Centre | Ariel Weil | PS | ||||
| 5th | Florence Berthout | HOR | ||||
| 6th | Jean-Pierre Lecoq | LR | ||||
| 7th | Rachida Dati | LR | ||||
| 8th | Jeanne d'Hauteserre | LR | ||||
| 9th | Delphine Bürkli | HOR | ||||
| 10th | Alexandra Cordebard | PS | ||||
| 11th | François Vauglin | PS | ||||
| 12th | Emmanuelle Pierre-Marie | LE | ||||
| 13th | Jérôme Coumet | DVG | ||||
| 14th | Carine Petit | LE | ||||
| 15th | Philippe Goujon | LR | ||||
| 16th | Jérémy Redler | LR | ||||
| 17th | Geoffroy Boulard | LR | ||||
| 18th | Éric Lejoindre | PS | ||||
| 19th | François Dagnaud | PS | ||||
| 20th | Éric Pliez | PP | ||||
References
- ^ "Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Le Monde: 'I won't be running for a third term'". 26 November 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says she will not seek a third term in 2026". France 24. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Hannah (10 April 2025). "Local election rule changes in France and why you may have a new mayor in 2026". www.connexionfrance.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Freshly named French culture minister to run for Paris mayor in 2026". 17 January 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Lauzun, Hélène de (5 February 2025). "French PM Could End Left's Grip on Paris, Lyon & Marseille". europeanconservative.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Municipal elections: From arrondissement mayorships to the capital, how is the mayor of Paris elected?". www.sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Municipales 2026 à Paris : Dati, Grégoire, Chikirou, Knafo… qui sont les candidats ?". Le Parisien (in French). 23 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Paris mayoral election: Emmanuel Grégoire, a surprising Socialist candidate". Le Monde. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Municipales 2026 à Paris : socialistes, écologistes et communistes font liste commune derrière Emmanuel Grégoire". Le Monde (in French). 18 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b "2026 Paris mayor elections: Many candidates are already on the starting line". Le Monde. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : Marion Waller, candidate surprise de la primaire socialiste pour « gagner et être maire »". Le Monde (in French). 6 May 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "David Belliard désigné candidat des Ecologistes pour les municipales à Paris". Le Monde (in French). 23 March 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Rachida Dati annonce sa candidature à la Mairie de Paris en 2026". Le Monde (in French). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : Rachida Dati officiellement investie par LR". Le Monde (in French). 28 August 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b c "Municipales à Paris : Pierre-Yves Bournazel persiste dans le « ni Dati ni Grégoire »". Le Monde (in French). 10 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : Sophia Chikirou officiellement candidate de La France insoumise". TF1info (in French). 14 November 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : Thierry Mariani se lance dans la course pour le RN". Le Monde (in French). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales 2026 : Thierry Mariani candidat du RN et de l'UDR pour « retrouver Paris »". Le Parisien (in French). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales 2026 à Paris : Sarah Knafo, l'eurodéputée de Reconquête !, annonce sa candidature à la mairie de Paris". Le Monde (in French). 7 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Le Monde: 'I won't be running for a third term'". Le Monde. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says she will not seek a third term in 2026". France 24. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Municipales 2026 à Paris : socialistes, écologistes et communistes font liste commune derrière Emmanuel Grégoire". Le Monde (in French). 18 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : vers un accord historique de premier tour entre socialistes, communistes et écologistes". Le Monde (in French). 17 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : Sophia Chikirou candidate de « rupture » pour La France insoumise". Le Monde (in French). 14 November 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : Sophia Chikirou espère faire fructifier les scores électoraux de La France insoumise". Le Monde (in French). 30 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Municipales à Paris : Pierre-Yves Bournazel persiste dans le « ni Dati, ni Grégoire »". Le Monde (in French). 10 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Police municipale, désendettement, métro… Rachida Dati détaille son programme pour Paris et appelle Pierre-Yves Bournazel au rassemblement". Public Sénat (in French). 10 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : Thierry Mariani se lance dans la course pour le RN". Le Monde (in French). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales 2026 à Paris : Sarah Knafo, l'eurodéputée de Reconquête !, annonce sa candidature à la mairie de Paris". Le Monde (in French). 7 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Emmanuel Grégoire, Socialist candidate for Paris mayor, details proposals to Le Monde". Le Monde. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales 2026 : comment la transition écologique s'est imposée dans le quotidien des électeurs". Le Monde (in French). 30 December 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales à Paris : retour des voitures sur les quais, vente des HLM… Le programme clivant de Sarah Knafo". Le Parisien (in French). 19 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "VÉRIF' – Est-il vrai que l'absence d'éclairage public la nuit « augmente l'insécurité » ?". TF1info (in French). 9 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "Municipales : le mode de scrutin à Paris, Lyon et Marseille (loi du 11 août 2025)". vie-publique.fr (in French). Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ "LOI n° 2025-795 du 11 août 2025 visant à réformer le mode de scrutin des élections municipales à Paris, Lyon et Marseille". Légifrance (in French). 11 August 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2026.