Thierry Mariani, member of the European Parliament for the far-right Rassemblement National party, in Paris, December 12, 2025. BERTRAND GUAY/AFP
Thierry Mariani has become the first declared candidate for the March 2026 Paris municipal elections who does not aspire to become mayor. The member of the European Parliament with the Rassemblement National (RN) party is well aware that it would be unimaginable for a far-right figure to lead the French capital in 2026. "We are embarking on this venture with one goal: to enter the Council of Paris," said the 67-year-old candidate, who launched his campaign on Friday, December 12.
The party can reasonably expect to improve upon its previous result in the Paris elections. In 2020, the RN backed Serge Federbusch, an independent candidate and former Socialist who moved to the right and then the far right, garnered just 1.47% of the vote. In 2014, Wallerand de Saint-Just performed four times better with 6.26%. The far right has since been on a steady rise in the capital, as shown by the results of a September by-election in the city's 2nd constituency, where Mariani himself received 7% and the candidate from another far-right party, Reconquête, took 6%.
