Lyon: municipal elections will take place on March 15 and 22, 2026

Municipal elections will be held on March 15 and 22, 2026, government spokesperson Sophie Primas announced Wednesday following the Council of Ministers. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau presented a decree setting these dates to the Council of Ministers, she said. These municipal elections will notably mark the entry into force of a new voting system for Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.

The reform voted on by Parliament at the beginning of July will lead to a dual election system, and therefore two ballot boxes, one to elect municipal councillors - who then elect the mayor - the other to elect those of the district.

For the three major cities, it puts an end to the voting system introduced by the "PLM law" in 1982: voters in Paris, Lyon and Marseille previously voted in each district or sector for a list of councillors, with the elected representatives at the top of the list sitting on both the district/sector council and the central town hall council.

In Lyon, you will have to vote three times since the metropolitan election should coincide with the municipal elections.