France in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
In March 2026, French politics was dominated by the municipal elections. In the first round on 15 March, the National Rally made gains and its candidate in Marseille tied with the incumbent left-wing mayor, while no candidate won an outright majority in Paris, Lyon or Marseille. Authorities said they suspected foreign interference in several key races. In the second round on 22 March, Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire won the mayoralty of Paris, and Benoit Payan, running for a left-wing coalition, won Marseille. The National Rally made no significant gains in the large cities but won some smaller towns.
The war involving Iran shaped much of the government's agenda. France, Britain and Germany said they were ready to defend Gulf countries and Jordan. President Emmanuel Macron repeatedly urged Israel not to launch a ground offensive in Lebanon, France requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting, and on 14 March it offered to host Israel-Lebanon talks in Paris. Macron held phone calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, pressing Tehran to stop attacks on its Gulf neighbours. On 17 March he said France would not join any military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while hostilities continue, and by 26 March France said it had approached 35 countries about a future maritime security mission there.
On 13 March Macron hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris and pledged continued support. France also hosted China-U.S. trade talks from 14 to 17 March, described by Chinese officials as constructive, ahead of a possible meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. France withdrew South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's invitation to the June G7 summit, which South African officials called an exclusion and French officials said was not the result of outside pressure.
In the courts, Nicolas Sarkozy denied the charges at his appeal trial over alleged Libyan funding of his 2007 campaign. Tariq Ramadan was sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping three women. A Paris appeals court rejected the government's request to suspend the Shein marketplace.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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