France's President Emmanuel Macron, at the Elysée Palace in Paris, on March 17, 2026. BENOIT TESSIER / AFP
President Emmanuel Macron warned, on Wednesday, March 18, that politically extreme parties presented a danger to France, speaking in the lead-up to the second round of municipal elections, the government spokeswoman said.
In his first public comments since the first round of municipal elections on Sunday, which have been seen as a bellwether for elections to choose Macron's successor next year, the centrist president said "extremes, wherever they may be, remain a danger to the republic," spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said after a government meeting.
France's two-round mayoral races are being closely watched for signs of the country's political mood and patterns of tactical alliances ahead of next year's pivotal election.
Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration far-right party, the Rassemblement National (RN), and Jean-Luc Mélenchon's radical left La France Insoumise (LFI) party have scored gains in the first round, highlighting voter disillusionment with mainstream parties.
