Government, policy, institutions, and political power dynamics.
While most towns will have elected their mayors by this Sunday night, several major cities could face a fiercely contested second-round run-off next week.
Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire leads ahead of former culture minister Rachida Dati in the Paris mayoral race.
Strategic angle: Between 41.5% and 44% of registered voters did not cast a ballot on Sunday, March 15, marking an unprecedented level of abstention.
Strategic angle: Voters overwhelmingly approved sweeping reforms in a referendum that could tighten presidential control over institutions and raise concerns about civil liberties.
Strategic angle: The remarks came as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng in Paris, paving the way for the summit scheduled for late March.
Polling stations across mainland France have opened for the first round of the municipal elections, with uncertain outcomes in major cities.
Strategic angle: Follow the 2026 municipal elections' first-round results in real time with our interactive map.
Strategic angle: Opposition leader Péter Magyar labels Viktor Orbán a traitor, alleging Russian interference in upcoming elections.
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.
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.
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.
Strategic angle: Voters in France are heading to the polls in local elections seen as a litmus test for next year's presidential vote.
Strategic angle: France holds municipal elections on Sunday – including for the mayor of Paris – less than a year before the 2027 presidential vote.
Strategic angle: The Communist Party has fielded nearly 93% of the total candidates in the election.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Strategic angle: An insightful discussion on Washington's strategy in the current conflict with insights from former diplomat Jennifer Gavito.
Negotiations aimed to ‘find solutions to the bilateral differences’ between the countries.