2026 Municipal Elections: As the elections approach, construction work accelerates in cities

With less than a year to go until municipal elections , construction projects are multiplying in cities. Renovating roads, sidewalks, gardens, and public buildings... Local officials are counting on their final year in office to make their mark on their territory.

An observation theorized in 2020 by INSEE. The institute speaks of an “electoral cycle” for local government investment. The proof: according to the National Federation of Public Works, the sector saw a 9% increase in activity in the pre-election year. And according to one of its directors: “The mayor wants to present a positive balance sheet. It's a caricature, but this cycle effect exists.”

“Anything we can finish before the election is always better,” acknowledges a Breton elected official. But according to him, things need to be put into perspective: “there was the Covid period,” and it delayed a good number of projects. And then, for this urban area president, there's a time for everything. “The first year, we define the project. The second, we develop the specifications. Then, we accelerate the second part of the mandate.”

In short: not everything is being put in place for political purposes. Enough to make an opposition councilor at Annecy's town hall smile, exasperated by the proliferation of construction sites. "Nothing happened for five years, and now there's a lot of work underway, it's quite surprising," the city councilor jokes. "That's the game," according to a councilor at the Lyon metropolitan area.

Even though, according to him, "it's not the construction work that decides the elections." Given the budgetary constraints of municipalities, investments could still decrease after the municipal elections in March 2026. This is worrying for public works companies.