French mayoral elections gauge far-right strength before presidential ballot
The Straits Times
PARIS, March 15 - French voters head to the polls on Sunday to elect their mayors in a closely watched ballot seen as a test of the strength of the far-right and the resilience of mainstream parties ahead of next year's presidential election. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PARIS, March 15 - French voters head to the polls on Sunday to elect their mayors in a closely watched ballot seen as a test of the strength of the far-right and the resilience of mainstream parties ahead of next year's presidential election.
Heading nearly 35,000 municipalities - from major cities to villages with only a few dozen residents - mayors are France's most trusted elected officials.
Voting starts at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) and ends at 8 p.m. In many medium to large cities, there will be a second round on March 22.
Local results can shape national momentum, especially when they take place so close to the presidential election, which opinion polls show the far-right National Rally (RN) could potentially win.
A TEST FOR THE RN
The anti-immigration, eurosceptic RN has so far struggled to make meaningful gains in municipal elections.
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