https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed With local elections out of the way, attention has turned to next year's presidential race - in April and May 2027, French people will go to the polls and pick their next president. Here's how the race is shaping up so far. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250411/analysis-who-will-win-frances-next-presidential-election Fri, 11 Apr 2025 17:16:52 +0200 analysis-who-will-win-frances-next-presidential-election As attention in France shifts to the 2027 presidential elections, John Lichfield looks at how the candidates will be be narrowed down and whether France is indeed 'sleepwalking into a Far-Right presidency'. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260401/opinion-primaries-cannot-save-france-from-a-trumpian-future Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:18:39 +0200 opinion-primaries-cannot-save-france-from-a-trumpian-future The Local France's editor Emma Pearson explains why foreigners in France face an anxious year ahead as the presidential election looms large and the threat from the xenophobic far right grows ever stronger. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260325/opinion-for-foreigners-in-france-each-election-brings-a-creeping-sense-of-dread Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:06:38 +0100 opinion-for-foreigners-in-france-each-election-brings-a-creeping-sense-of-dread This was a Mr Potato Head election - writes John Lichfield - pick different features of the municipal results on Sunday and you can give France the face of your choosing. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260324/opinion-local-elections-show-french-far-right-is-beatable-but-not-by-this-fractured-and-squabbling-opposition Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:52:20 +0100 opinion-local-elections-show-french-far-right-is-beatable-but-not-by-this-fractured-and-squabbling-opposition France's 35,000 communes have been to the polls to elect their new representatives. Here's a look at what the local election results show and what, if anything, they can tell us about France's fractured political landscape. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260323/5-key-takeaways-from-frances-local-elections Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:57:20 +0100 5-key-takeaways-from-frances-local-elections The left-wing candidate Emmanuel Grégoire - the former deputy of current mayor Anne Hidalgo - has fought off a challenge from the right-wing former culture minister Rachida Dati to become the new mayor of Paris. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260322/left-holds-paris-after-closely-fought-mayoral-battle Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:05:51 +0100 left-holds-paris-after-closely-fought-mayoral-battle The left-wing mayor of Marseille won a knife-edge race against the far right, while in Paris the left-wing candidate held the city and in Nice the centre-right/far-right candidate won - here are the final results of France's 2026 local elections. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260322/latest-results-from-the-second-round-of-frances-local-elections Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:52:21 +0100 latest-results-from-the-second-round-of-frances-local-elections Marine Le Pen's far-right party traditionally does not do well in big towns, in 2026 it had targeted five towns that it hoped could provide a breakthrough - here's how that went. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260313/5-towns-the-far-right-hopes-to-win-in-the-french-local-elections Fri, 13 Mar 2026 17:28:02 +0100 5-towns-the-far-right-hopes-to-win-in-the-french-local-elections If this is your first time voting in France, here's how the system works and what to expect when you head down to the polling station on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260313/first-time-voters-what-to-expect-when-voting-in-france Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:50:03 +0100 first-time-voters-what-to-expect-when-voting-in-france The crucial second round of voting in France's local elections takes place on Sunday and Paris is among one of several cities facing an extremely tight race - here's what the latest polls say. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260320/paris-mayor-election-what-the-latest-polls-say Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:26:16 +0100 paris-mayor-election-what-the-latest-polls-say The final, decisive, round of polling in France's local elections takes place on Sunday - from neck-and-neck races to party alliances, here's what to watch. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260317/6-things-to-watch-in-round-two-of-french-local-elections Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:03:29 +0100 6-things-to-watch-in-round-two-of-french-local-elections France does not allow postal votes, but if you are not able to attend the polling station on the day, you can arrange for someone else to cast your vote - here's how. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260305/how-to-arrange-a-proxy-vote-in-france Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:48:16 +0100 how-to-arrange-a-proxy-vote-in-france The results are in for the first round of voting in local elections and - as expected - there are some close races in the big cities, meaning that it all comes down to second-round alliances. Here's how these work. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260309/explained-the-crucial-election-alliances-that-shape-french-elections Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:42:27 +0100 explained-the-crucial-election-alliances-that-shape-french-elections After the first round of voting in French local elections, several cities are on a knife edge - meaning that every vote counts in round two. But can you vote in the second round if you didn't vote in the first? https://www.thelocal.fr/20260316/can-i-vote-in-the-second-round-of-the-french-local-elections-if-i-didnt-vote-in-the-first Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:54:33 +0100 can-i-vote-in-the-second-round-of-the-french-local-elections-if-i-didnt-vote-in-the-first Confirmed results in the French local elections show knife-edge results in cities including Marseille, Paris and Lyon - where voting will now move to a second round. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260315/french-elections-latest-far-right-wins-and-second-round-voting Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:38:12 +0100 french-elections-latest-far-right-wins-and-second-round-voting There are 35,000 mayors in France, and half of them oversee villages of fewer than 500 people. But what powers do they have and why are they so vital to the functioning of the French state? https://www.thelocal.fr/20180724/explained-what-powers-do-french-mayors-have Tue, 24 Jul 2018 08:57:47 +0200 explained-what-powers-do-french-mayors-have France heads to the polls on Sunday for the first round of the 2026 municipal elections - here's a few things to watch out for. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260305/8-things-to-watch-in-frances-upcoming-local-elections Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:34:55 +0100 8-things-to-watch-in-frances-upcoming-local-elections As France prepares for key local elections, John Lichfield looks at what the results can tell us about the strength of the 'republican front', the pact that voters can make to keep out the far right. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260311/opinion-local-elections-will-show-if-france-still-has-the-will-to-resist-the-far-right Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:52:31 +0100 opinion-local-elections-will-show-if-france-still-has-the-will-to-resist-the-far-right The Talking France podcast is back after a two-week break looking at everything surrounding the upcoming French local elections, the rising petrol prices in the country, and why so many Americans are moving to Montpellier. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260310/podcast-why-french-local-elections-really-matter-and-macron-walks-middle-east-tightrope Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:53:43 +0100 podcast-why-french-local-elections-really-matter-and-macron-walks-middle-east-tightrope In most countries, voters head to the ballot boxes just once - in France, however, there are two polling days. Here's how the country's unusual two-round voting system works. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240627/explained-how-frances-two-round-voting-system-works Thu, 27 Jun 2024 08:36:34 +0200 explained-how-frances-two-round-voting-system-works