Marseille's left‑wing incumbent Mayor Benoît Payan easily beat his far-right rival Frank Allisio in France's mayoral elections, two exit polls showed on Sunday.
The far‑right National Rally (RN), Allisio's party, had targeted France's second-largest city to show it could build electoral momentum ahead of next year's presidential race, and failing to win Marseille's city hall is a major setback for the party.
Payan had warned earlier this month that Marseille falling into the hands of the far right would be "an earthquake for the country".
The two candidates were neck-and-neck in the first round last Sunday, providing RN party with a once-unthinkable shot at power in France's second-largest city.
But the far right’s chances took a hit when hard-left candidate Sébastien Delogu of France Unbowed (LFI) withdrew from the second round, out of concern that splitting the left’s vote could help the National Rally.
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Third-placed Martine Vassal of the mainstream right, in contrast, remained in the race, splitting the right-wing vote in Sunday’s runoff.
Famous for its historic port and striking Mediterranean views, Marseille has become the focus of French authorities’ battle with a nationwide surge in cocaine use.
Opinion polls showed security was voters’ top concern ahead of the two-round municipal elections, benefiting the far right and its tough-on-crime rhetoric.
In a bid to bolster his security bona fides, Payan drafted into his campaign Amine Kessaci, a well-known 22-year-old anti-drugs activist who has lost two brothers in drug-related murders.
Official data showed a 4.1% decrease in overall crime in Marseille last year compared to 2024 and police data show drug-related killings have fallen after a peak in 2023. But murders related to drug dealing have shocked residents.
Read moreFrench minister says drug crime threat 'equivalent to terrorism' after Marseille murder