French Local Elections Enter Second Round Amid Tight Contests

France is conducting the second round of local elections to select leaders for over 1,500 municipalities, including major cities like Paris and Marseille. According to RTHK, most of the approximately 35,000 municipalities nationwide have already elected their leaders in the first round of voting held last Sunday. However, around 1,500 municipalities require a second round as no candidate secured sufficient support. In Marseille, the contest is between the far-right National Rally candidate and the incumbent Socialist mayor. The race in Paris is also expected to be closely contested, with polls indicating that the margin between conservative and left-wing candidates falls within the margin of error. The outcome of this election is seen as an indicator for next year's presidential election. The National Rally aims to achieve better results than in previous elections to strengthen its position for a presidential challenge.