Municipal elections 2026 in Saint-Denis: a battle of the left

A few meters from the Saint-Denis basilica (Seine-Saint-Denis), Pierre and Léo are enjoying the warm weather of winter in the veranda of a café, opposite the town hall. It is precisely municipal power that is being discussed between the two teachers. For these faithful of the left, indecision predominates as the election of March 15 and 22 approaches. “I don’t know who to vote for,” confides Léo. The current mayor has put more police on the streets, but the playgrounds are abandoned. » His comrade adds: “Bally Bagayoko is too critical and not constructive enough. » Between them, they sum up the equation of a tense election.

“There is increased tension in this campaign, which we did not experience in 2020,” notes Élie, association manager. At the time, the socialist Mathieu Hanotin had wrested the city from seventy-six years of communist management. This time, the PCF has allied itself with France Insoumise (LFI) behind Bally Bagayoko, an RATP executive and former communist deputy who joined Jean-Luc Mélenchon to defend a “project of rupture” against the incumbent councilor. The blows have been raining down ever since.

Security issue

“Mathieu Hanotin is a right-wing mayor,” says Marie-José, 80, who came to attend a public meeting of Bally Bagayoko. Alain, retired from higher education, denounces overly authoritarian management and accuses the councilor of “gentrifying the city”.

The mayor’s supporters don’t see the problem: “The city has transformed, and for the better. I prefer my children to grow up in a “safe” environment rather than in the middle of social chaos,” replies Ali, 47, resident of Franc-Moisin, a working-class neighborhood. On paper, the two programs remain anchored to the left: strengthened public service, fight against exclusion, free school canteen.

Yet one divide dominates: security. Since 2020, the municipality has recruited 105 police officers, armed officers and installed nearly 700 cameras. “For what result? » asks Bally Bagayoko, denouncing a financial abyss and calling for a “change of doctrine” on the missions and arming of the police.

“Violence is above all a social issue, which requires prevention and mediation,” argues Yohan Sales, seventh on his list. The outgoing majority only sees delinquents, whereas we see vulnerable young people who need to be supported to sustainably resolve this problem. »

A way for LFI to encourage support from stigmatized working-class neighborhoods. “All delinquency figures are falling,” retorts the mayor, defending that “security is a right for all.” Tension peaked in early February 2026: during a meeting with anti-drug activist Amine Kessaci, Mathieu Hanotin affirmed, with supporting videos, that drug traffickers openly supported the candidacy of Bally Bagayoko, in particular to oust the police. The person concerned filed a complaint for defamation, denouncing racism against him and “conflations” made between young people from the neighborhoods and drug dealers.

Credibility at stake

Behind this battle emerges the national confrontation which is tearing the left apart. And for good reason: since 2001, the municipal election had not been so close to the presidential election, scheduled for a year from now. Hence the change in strategy of LFI, which had not presented any list in 2020, while it named more than 200 “Insoumis” leaders this time.

“The “Insoumis” want to show that we cannot count on them,” analyzes political scientist Frédéric Sawicki. Either by winning cities, or by making the Socialist Party (PS) lose those where it refuses to give up. In Paris, the retention of Sophia Chikirou (LFI) could weaken the favorite Emmanuel Grégoire (PS), to the benefit of the right. “If it takes place, the defeat will be attributed to the socialists, since they refuse the alliance,” continues the researcher.

The death of Quentin, a far-right activist who died in Lyon on February 14, 2026 after a brawl with an anti-fascist group linked to LFI, further hardened the climate. François Hollande thus attributed “moral responsibility” to Jean-Luc Mélenchon in this drama.

“Adopting this right-wing discourse so conveniently is suicidal,” warns Frédéric Sawicki. In Saint-Denis, Quentin’s death is not attributed to LFI. “Neither Mélenchon nor his party can do anything about it,” recognizes Corinne, a loyal socialist supporter. The results of the first round risk changing the positions of the two camps, particularly in the event of local clashes with the National Rally. More than the number of city councilors, it is the credibility of the left that will be at stake.