"Now representatives of local mayors are worried that they will not be able to assemble enough candidates to create a list - in small villages mayors often run unopposed due to a lack of people willing to take on the job, which is both unpaid and time-consuming. Representatives of the Association des maires de France, the mayors organisation which is currently staging its national conference, have criticised the rigidity of the list system, saying that it does not suit smaller communes."
"A Cevipof survey published in April showed that one in three local councillors or mayors are now reluctant to stand for re-election in 2026. Gilles Laveur, mayor of the village of Bonneuil-en-Valois in the Oise département (population 999) is standing down after two terms and told Le Parisien that only one person in his village has expressed an interest in standing in 2026. Defending the changes, parliamentary speaker Yael Braun-Privet told the mayors conference: "Ladies, don't hesitate to run for the top job, don't hesitate to become mayor!""
France will hold municipal elections in March 2026 and new rules will require communes with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants to present gender-balanced candidate lists alternating men and women. The parity requirement already applies to larger towns. Many small communes are urgently seeking female candidates and local mayoral representatives fear they will struggle to assemble full lists. Mayors often run unopposed in small villages because the role is unpaid and time-consuming. A recent Cevipof survey found one in three local councillors or mayors reluctant to stand again in 2026. Some mayors are stepping down and women are being encouraged to run.
Read at The Local France
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