France picks mayors in test of political mood ahead of 2027 polls
Polling stations across mainland France have opened for the first round of the municipal elections, with uncertain outcomes in major cities.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Elections
Latest Elections stories from Politics.
Briefing: 2026 Municipal Elections: First-Round Results Live
Strategic angle: Follow the 2026 municipal elections' first-round results in real time with our interactive map.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: 'Orbán betrayed Hungarian freedom': Magyar accuses PM of inviting Russian agents to rig the vote
Strategic angle: Opposition leader Péter Magyar labels Viktor Orbán a traitor, alleging Russian interference in upcoming elections.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: French municipal elections: Follow live
Strategic angle: On March 15 and 22, over 48 million voters across more than 34,000 French municipalities will elect their municipal councils and determine the mayors who will represent them for six years.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: Republic of Congo votes in presidential election
Strategic angle: President Dennis Sassou N'Guesso, 82, seems set to win a fifth term in a row in Sunday's election in the Republic of Congo.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: Germany news: Merz faces new election test in Hesse
Strategic angle: The far-right AfD is poised for fresh gains in local elections in western Hesse state. As fuel prices soar, German MPs are urging measures to offset the pain.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: France: Far-right strength put to test in local elections
Strategic angle: Voters in France are heading to the polls in local elections seen as a litmus test for next year's presidential vote.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: In France's municipal elections, 2027 presidential race looms large
Strategic angle: France holds municipal elections on Sunday – including for the mayor of Paris – less than a year before the 2027 presidential vote.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: Vietnam: Polls open in one-party election
Strategic angle: The Communist Party has fielded nearly 93% of the total candidates in the election.
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: Being a local has become a key selling point in France's municipal elections
Strategic angle: Candidates in France's municipal elections have made every effort to highlight their local roots, a symbolic asset that signals legitimacy, but is it enough for everyone?
Editorial Staff Mar 15
Briefing: Germany's Greens: More than leftist, woke ecologists?
Strategic angle: Cem Özdemir won the election in Baden-Württemberg partly by abandoning many of his Green Party's core issues. His party is still debating whether this was a good move.
Editorial Staff Mar 14
Briefing: Russia working to 'tip scale' for Orban in Hungary election
Strategic angle: Viktor Orban has long been pro-Russia. Now, there are signs that the Kremlin is working to secure his reelection and turning Hungary’s election into a referendum on whether voters want to be closer to the EU or Russia.
Editorial Staff Mar 14
Briefing: As veto drags on, Brussels wonders: Will Orbán relent before the elections?
Strategic angle: Officials in Brussels are concerned that Viktor Orbán's veto on the €90 billion loan for Ukraine may extend beyond Hungary's elections.
Editorial Staff Mar 14
The race for Paris: How the capital’s housing crisis could determine the city’s next mayor
With France preparing to vote in the first round of the municipal elections on Sunday, Paris has become a battleground between left- and right-wing forces fighting to shape the capital’s future.
Editorial Staff Mar 13
Briefing: Republic of the Congo elections: A foregone conclusion?
Strategic angle: Voters in the Republic of the Congo (Brazaville) go to the polls this Sunday to elect their next leader, with predictions favoring President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
Editorial Staff Mar 13
Briefing: 'Municipal elections pose the greatest risks for culture – except in Paris, which enjoys an extraordinary privilege'
Strategic angle: In the French capital, the cultural scene far outpaces that of other major cities, thanks to the state's funding for many museums and opera houses, observes Le Monde columnist Michel Guerrin.
Editorial Staff Mar 12
Briefing: Could the US military have struck a primary school by mistake?
Strategic angle: Multiple leaks suggest faulty US data led to a tragic Tomahawk strike on an Iranian primary school.
Editorial Staff Mar 12
Hungarian PM Orban campaigns on fears of war and hatred of Ukraine
Facing challenges in the polls, Prime Minister Viktor Orban positions his rival as a pro-Kyiv agent.
Editorial Staff Mar 12
Briefing: Trump says Democrats must cheat to win. What do his supporters think?
Strategic angle: NPR spent several days traveling across a pair of swing districts in Pennsylvania to find out. The answers show how much has changed since the 2020 election.
Editorial Staff Mar 12
Briefing: Polish opposition's PM candidate looks to attract far right
Strategic angle: In a bid to reverse voter losses to the far right, Przemyslaw Czarnek has been chosen as the lead candidate for the 2027 parliamentary election.
Editorial Staff Mar 11