During municipal elections, the composition of the municipal seats of the communes of France is defined by the voters. In Paris, however, the process differs: yes, within the capital, in addition to the City of Paris, each district has a town hall. So how are district town halls and the mayor of Paris elected? We'll explain how it works.
THE municipal elections take place every 6 years in France. These allow voters to vote on the composition of the municipal council of their cities, thus influencing the appointment of future mayors, based on the lists and programs proposed. Depending on the size of the municipality, if it has more or less than 1000 inhabitants, the terms of elections differ. In the first case, it is a combination of a two-round majority vote and a proportional vote. In the second case, it is a multi-member majority vote in two rounds.
How are municipal elections different in Paris?
The city of Paris is divided into 20 districts each having its own town hall with the exception ofs 4 premiers : THE 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th districts have been united since 2020 in a single sector, that of Paris-Center. Thus, voters vote within their district in favor of a list presented by the different candidates for mayor of Paris : this vote makes it possible to elect the district councilors and by extension to influence the composition of elected officials who will be able to sit on the Council of Paris (163 seats in total). The number of seats allocated to the districts is proportional to their demographics: thus the most populated districts have more seats in the Council of Paris. Between 3 and 18 elected officials are sent per district to the Paris Council. THE Council of Paris is then responsible forelect the mayor of Paris.
When and how are the mayors of Paris elected?
As in the case of municipal elections in municipalities with more than 1000 inhabitants, voters vote for lists and their programs, represented by a head of list. The one who wins the most votes wins half of the places in the district council and Paris councilthe rest is allocated proportionally to the result of the votes among the lists having gathered more than 5% of the votes. The elections take place in a single round if one of the lists wins an absolute majority (50% of the votes). Otherwise, a second round is organized: only the lists having gathered at least 10% of the votes during the first round can present themselves.
The or the mayor of Paris is then elected by the Council of Paris in the week following the second round of municipal elections. If no candidate is elected by an absolute majority during the first and second rounds, the third round is organized by a relative majority. These elections also make it possible to define the future deputies of Paris City Hall.
Subsequently, the district mayors are elected within 8 days following the election of the mayor of Paris by the district councils.
When will the next municipal elections take place in Paris?
THE next elections are scheduled for March 2026 in Paris. The precise date is not yet known.
When will the next municipal elections take place to elect the next mayors in France?
In the civic calendar, municipal elections are those which allow municipalities in France to elect their future mayor. Whether at Paris town hall, in the different districts of the capital, in Île-de-France or even on a national scale, here are the dates of the next municipal elections. [Lire la suite]
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