As opponents of the “PLM” law – short for “Paris-Lyon-Marseille” – had anticipated, on Thursday, August 7, the Constitutional Council approved all provisions of the bill to reform the election process for members of the Council of Paris, as well as for municipal councilors in Lyon and Marseille. This marks a revolution in the way the three largest French cities hold elections, bringing them in line with the rules that apply to the approximately 34,000 other municipalities across France, less than a year before municipal elections.
Until now, voters in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille chose their arrondissement (district) councilors, with the top-ranking councilors then forming a municipal council that selects the mayor. This meant that the mayor was elected through an indirect form of universal suffrage. But under a new law introduced by Paris MP Sylvain Maillard of the centrist Renaissance party, starting in March 2026, residents of these cities will vote twice on the same day. One vote will directly elect the mayor, the top of a list of municipal councilors. The other vote will elect arrondissement councilors. In Lyon, voters will also cast a third ballot to choose councilors for the métropole (Greater Lyon Area).
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