A bit of history now with a look at the results in the locals since 1945.

29 April and 13 May 1945: As voters went to the polls in the first round, France was still at war, Germany surrendered on May 7. For the first time ever in France, women were allowed to vote, resulting in 50% more voters than pre-war. In the first round, the Communists are favoured, while the radicals and moderates were trounced. The christian democrats of the MRP realized an unexpected breakthrough. In the runoff however, the MRP collapsed while the moderates, radicals, SFIO, and PCF were able to win numerous cities.

19 and 26 October 1947: The election of 1947 was the first local election held under the 4th Republic. While the MRP was severely defeated, the Gaullist RPF realized excellent results (winning Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Paris etc). The Communists, who had been excluded from the government in the spring, were isolated in working-class cities primarily.

26 April and 3 May 1953: After the very favourable 1947 election, but a less favourable time in the National Assembly, the RPF collapsed to 10%, but the centre and the CNIP limited the right’s defeat. The Communists lost over 10%.

8 and 15 March 1959: After coming to power in 1958 under the 5th Republic, the 1959 locals were the first municipal elections under the new republic. After exceptional scores in 1958, the Gaullist UDR realized mediocre scores. The MRP, radicals, SFIO, and Communists held their positions.

14 and 21 March 1965: Like in 1959, the UDR realized deceiving results (although they did moderately gain). The Communists gained, but they also came out of their isolation and started co-operating with other parties of the parliamentary left.

14 and 21 March 1971: Georges Pompidou had been in power since 1969 by 1971. The UDR gained in the radical south-west while the PCF gained in the north and east. On the left, the socialists, although still administering numerous cities with the “moderates”, the strategy of unions with the PCF developed, marked mostly by the withdrawal of candidates in runoff to profit one party.

13 and 20 March 1977: By 1977, Valery Giscard d’Estaing had been in power since 1974. The Communists and PS, united under a “government program” swept the elections. Out of 221 cities with over 30,000 inhabitants, the left won 155. The Socialists gained Rennes, Angers, Brest, Nantes, Villeurbanne, Pau, and Cannes. The Communists gained Le Mans, Reims, and Saint-Etienne. For the first time, green parties realized their first breakthroughs.

For the first time since 1789, elections were held to the mayorship of Paris. The former Prime Minister and RPR candidate Jacques Chirac was elected, defeating notably the Giscardian Michel d’Ornano.

6 and 13 March 1983: The left, in power since only two years, was defeated in the 1983 locals by the RPR-UDF. The Communists lost Saint-Etienne and Reims, while the PS lost Tourcoing, Grenoble, and Roubaix. They narrowly held Marseille (with Gaston Defferre) against Jean-Claude Gaudin (UDF). In Paris, Chirac was easily re-elected, sweeping all arrondissements.

12 and 19 March 1989: After the 1983 disaster, the left did relatively good in 1989. They gained Nantes, Strasbourg, Brest, Orleans, Mulhouse, Avignon, Chambery, and Blois while losing Amiens, Saint-Malo, and Laon. The Communists continued their decline. Chirac repeated his 1983 sweep in Paris, but the PS did the same in Marseille. The FN won their first city, Saint-Gilles in the Gard. The Greens and ecologists did well, winning over 600 seats and around 15 cities.

11 and 18 June 1995: Held only a month after Chirac’s election as President, the 1995 locals presented contrasted results for both parties. The right gained Marseille, Le Havre (a Communist stronghold), Laval, and held Paris and Lyon. The PS, however, gained in both Paris and Lyon and took back Grenoble, and Tours. The Communists re-took Nimes. The far-right did well, with the FN winning in Toulon, Orange, and Marignane.

11 and 18 March 2001: The 2001 elections were generally favourable for the right, who was now in the parliamentary opposition. However, the right’s division in Paris and Lyon led to the PS gaining those two cities. They did, however, take Strasbourg, Aix-en-Provence, Argenteuil (a PCF stronghold since 1934), Blois (Jack Lang defeated), Chartres, Drancy (a PCF stronghold since 1935), Nimes, Orleans, and Saint-Brieuc. The left gained Ajaccio (from the bonapartists of Charles Napoleon), Dijon, and Tulle. The Greens did well, winning 16% in Besancon and winning Saumur by the first round. The far-right, divided between FN and MNR lost Toulon but held Orange, Vitrolles, and Marignane. By 2008, however, none of these three cities are still held by the FN or MNR.