Rassemblement National (RN, National Rally) and allied far-right forces failed to deliver on their ambitious plans to capture major cities and significantly expand local influence in the concluded municipal elections.
Although Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s party declared “the biggest breakthrough in its history” and recorded growth in elected councillors and mayors in its traditional strongholds (the south-east, Pas-de-Calais), analysis of the results shows that key strategic objectives were not met.
In major cities (Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Bordeaux), RN candidates received less than 8% of the vote and failed to reach the second round, remaining virtually unrepresented on the municipal councils of these metropolises. In medium-sized cities (departmental prefectures and towns of 30,000–100,000 inhabitants), the party also failed to confirm the expected progress: the number of second-round appearances in such municipalities actually declined compared to 2014, and the average vote increase was modest (from 15.5% to 18% in places where comparable lists stood both times).
RN’s most notable successes came in already-controlled territories and the southern belt:
Louis Aliot comfortably re-elected in Perpignan in the first round (>50%)
David Rachline in Fréjus
Steve Briois in Hénin-Beaumont with a landslide (~78%)
Several new victories in small and medium communes (Cagnes-sur-Mer, Buhl-la-Buissière, etc.)
However, in the targeted “symbolic” cities — Marseille, Toulon, Nîmes — the far-right either lost the second round or failed to turn the tide in their favour, despite strong first-round results (in Marseille, Franck Allisio came very close to victory but ultimately conceded).
Analysts note that despite the growing number of town halls under RN and allied control (more than 20–25 from the first round and several dozen more from the second), the party remains heavily constrained geographically and has been unable to convert its national surge into sustained local power beyond its historic heartlands.
The 2026 municipal elections have served as an important test one year before the 2027 presidential campaign. For now, the far-right is showing steady but still limited territorial growth — falling short of its ambitions to become the dominant force at the local level across the country.