PLM Law: Constitutional Council validates electoral reform in Paris, Lyon and Marseille

After much legislative back-and-forth, the new voting system in the cities of Paris, Lyon, and Marseille has been ratified. The Constitutional Council ruled in favor of the reform of the so-called "PLM" law—for "Paris, Lyon, and Marseille"—late Thursday. Councilors in the central town halls of France's three most populous cities will now be directly elected, in addition to district and sector representatives.

The "Sages" noted that for these three municipalities, the legislature was justified in wanting to "improve the representation of various political sensitivities within (their) deliberative assemblies", "in accordance with the constitutional objective of pluralism of schools of thought and opinions". The reform, led by the Paris (Renaissance) MP Sylvain Maillard and supported by the government, was voted on at the beginning of July by the Assembly despite the hostility of the Senate.

It must be applied from the municipal elections of March 2026, leading to a double election system, and therefore two ballot boxes, one to elect the members of the Central Town Hall Council (Paris Council, Municipal Councils of Lyon and Marseille) - who then elect the mayor -, the other to elect those of the district (in Paris) or the sector (in Lyon and Marseille).

In Lyon, the reform involves the organization of a triple ballot , since the residents of the municipalities of the Lyon Metropolis already vote directly for their metropolitan representatives, at the same time as for their municipal councilors.

In particular, the Constitutional Council, having been asked to consider this point, considered that "the new rules introduced are not particularly complex."