In France, the 2026 municipal election campaign shifted into high gear on March 18. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella held a rally in Châlons-en-Champagne, while in Paris, a televised debate brought together candidates from the Socialists, the centre-right (LR’s Rachida Dati), and La France Insoumise’s Sophia Chikirou. Initially billed as a PS-LR duel, the debate was expanded to include the left-wing populist party — a sign of LFI’s growing weight in the capital’s political landscape.