Turnout 20% at noon in closely watched French municipal elections

Almost 20% of voters had cast their ballots by noon on Sunday in the first round of France’s municipal elections, a key temperature reading ahead of next year’s presidential vote.

Nearly 49 million people were eligible to take part in the elections, which will determine thousands of local councillors who in turn elect mayors in their municipalities.

By noon, turnout stood at 19.37%, up from the 18.38% recorded in the pandemic-hit year of 2020.

President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte cast their votes in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage in the north of the country. After two terms in office, he is barred from standing again.

Most polling stations will close at 6 pm (1700 GMT), although voting will continue until 7 pm in some towns and until 8 pm in larger cities.

In races where no absolute majority is reached, a second round will be held on March 22.

Particular attention will focus on how many seats the far-right National Rally led by Marine Le Pen can win. Much like the centrist Renaissance party of President Emmanuel Macron, it has struggled to build a strong local base.

In the last municipal elections in 2020, France’s Greens performed particularly well. After that wave of support, however, they now fear setbacks.

Control of major city halls will be fiercely contested on Sunday.

In Paris, the question is whether conservatives can take over after 12 years of Socialist leadership under outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo.

In France’s second-largest city, Marseille, the Socialists are also in power but face challenges from both the left-wing opposition and the far-right National Rally.

Under French electoral rules, party lists must include equal numbers of men and women in alternating order on the ballot. In addition to French citizens living in the country, residents from other European Union member states are also entitled to vote in municipal elections.