Municipal Elections 2026 in Nice: Eric Ciotti leads ahead of Christian Estrosi in the first round

The first round of the 2026 municipal elections in Nice ends with a clarified political landscape. The provisional results place Eric Ciotti in the lead, followed by Christian Estrosi, while Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux completes the top three. Mireille Damiano places fourth. The configuration paves the way for a second round where the balance of power could shift depending on the alignments considered.

The evening results show Eric Ciotti clearly in the lead with 44% of the vote. Christian Estrosi follows in second place, with a gap of 13 points (31%) that already structures the balance of power for the second round. Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux completes this trio, with a score of 12% that allows her to remain in the race but requires a tighter strategy for what comes next.

Fourth place, Mireille Damiano, occupies a particular position in this first round. Her score of 9% opens the possibility of an alignment or support for the second round. Discussions could begin quickly, depending on the directions announced by the teams involved.

Further down the ranking, three other lists close the field: Cédric Vella and Céline Forjonnel around 2% and Estelle Jaquet at 0.5%. Their electoral weight remains limited, but each could play a role in the reshaping of support or in mobilizing certain specific electorates for the second round.

A day marked by gradually increasing turnout

This first round took place on a day when voter turnout experienced steady growth. As a reminder, at 5 p.m., the prefecture announced that the turnout rate was 41.39% in the Alpes-Maritimes department. This level exceeded that observed in 2020 at the same time, when it was measured at 29.50%, while remaining far from 2014, when participation reached 62.77%.

This figure followed the midday count, which indicated “15.86%” at noon. This first indicator was already above the 2020 level, then measured at “13.87%”. At the national level, turnout reached 19.37%. Comparisons with previous elections showed an intermediate position, between the 2014 municipal elections and the national elections of 2024.

Now a new stage is emerging: that of establishing alliances.

Please note that these results are not final, as counting is still ongoing.