Municipal elections

Verified 23 May 2024 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of the Interior

French voters and European voters from another Member State of the European Union, when they are registered to vote in France, elect municipal councilors (in Paris, these are Paris advisors). These councilors then elect the mayor. The rules of the election are different, depending on the size of the commune (less or more than 1,000 inhabitants). We'll explain.

1,000 or more inhabitants

The next election of city councilors, and Paris councilors, is due to take place in 2026.

FYI  

Voters are also called upon to elect community advisers and, for the metropolis of Lyon, the metropolitan councilors.

Municipal councilors, and Paris councilors, are elected for 6 years by direct universal suffrage by French and European voters registered to vote in France.

The method of voting combines the rules of majority voting with 2 rounds and proportional voting.

The mayor and his deputies are subsequently elected by the municipal councilors (in Paris, by the Paris advisors).

Less than 1,000 inhabitants

The next municipal elections are due in 2026.

Municipal councilors are elected for 6 years by direct universal suffrage by French and European voters registered to vote in France.

The polling is majority, plurinominal, with 2 rounds.

The mayor and his deputies are subsequently elected by the municipal councilors.