After the municipal elections, the danger of an ungovernable Paris | EUROtoday

The query has by no means been requested since Parisians elected their mayor by common suffrage. In every of the eight municipal elections held since that date (1977), the divide between majority and opposition and the voting guidelines had been such that, from the night of the second spherical, voters knew who can be designated mayor throughout what is known as the “third round”, that’s to say the primary assembly of the newly elected Paris Council.

As in every single place in France, the Parisian municipal elections are a proportional listing vote: we vote not for an individual, however for a listing, and the seats are allotted proportionally to the outcomes of every social gathering. In order to ensure that the listing arriving first can lead the municipality and have a majority of elected officers to vote on native insurance policies, the mannequin was enhanced with a “majority bonus” of fifty%. This bonus robotically grants half of the seats to the listing that comes first and the remainder of the locations are distributed in accordance with the outcomes of all of the lists, together with the primary. Until now, this rule utilized in all municipalities.

The reform of the voting methodology for the municipal elections of Paris, Lyon and Marseille promulgated on August 11, 2025 modified this steadiness, in relative ignorance of voters. Not solely did it introduce a second vote, in order that voters might immediately elect their municipal council along with their district (or sector) council, nevertheless it additionally launched a singularity, which appears technical however might become very political: the bulk bonus was lowered to 25% for these three cities.

From now on, if a listing desires to safe an absolute majority of seats (82 in Paris), it’s not sufficient for it to only win within the second spherical however to take action with a minimum of a 3rd of the votes solid, or 33.33% of the votes. It’s mathematical: the victorious listing will instantly win 25% of the locations, and the remaining 75% will likely be distributed in proportion to all the outcomes. To safe an absolute majority, this listing should get well one other 25% of the locations, or a 3rd of 75%, or a 3rd of the votes solid.

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