PERPIGNAN, France – Along the Mediterranean coast near the Spanish border, far-right mayor Louis Aliot is campaigning for another term in this weathered French city with a straightforward promise: enhanced law enforcement, expanded surveillance, and restored public safety.
Since taking control of city hall in 2020, the National Rally (RN) mayor has centered his administration around security initiatives. His party now showcases Perpignan, home to 122,000 residents and the largest municipality under RN control, as a model for governance they want to expand across France during this month’s municipal elections.
Despite facing an embezzlement conviction that could remove him from office pending his appeal, Aliot maintains his lead in polling. He describes Perpignan as an experimental ground for RN leadership and a demonstration of the party’s capabilities ahead of France’s 2027 presidential race.
“When the National Rally is in office, well, we govern, we run cities and we run them well,” he stated during an interview.
Electoral victories in additional municipalities would provide Marine Le Pen’s organization with momentum entering next year’s presidential campaign. Surveys indicate strong RN performance in Toulon, Nice and Marseille, though the two-round electoral system complicates predictions.
The party’s emphasis on law enforcement appeals to numerous Perpignan voters, where impoverished districts rank among France’s most disadvantaged areas just blocks away from the historic Catalan-influenced city center.
With elections scheduled for March 15 and 23, RN leader Jordan Bardella and far-left opponent Jean-Luc Mélenchon – both potential presidential candidates – conducted competing weekend campaigns, transforming the city into a political proving ground.
“Faced with the violence engulfing our country year after year, we intend to make public order an absolute priority,” Bardella declared to his supporters.
Aliot has pledged to add 50 additional officers and install 200 surveillance cameras, focusing on suburban areas where middle-class residents have relocated from inner neighborhoods housing significant North African and Roma communities.
The municipality has already grown its police force from 161 officers in 2020 to 199 currently, achieving 1.6 municipal officers per 1,000 residents – the highest ratio among French cities exceeding 100,000 population and nearly triple Paris’s 0.6 rate, based on Interior Ministry statistics analyzed by Reuters.
Intensified law enforcement has dramatically increased drug trafficking prosecutions, with Perpignan now ranking seventh among more than 50 major French cities, climbing from 18th place in 2020. Police-initiated trafficking cases have more than doubled, while minor possession fines have increased fourfold.
This security emphasis carries financial consequences. Municipal debt reaches 1,600 euros per resident, significantly exceeding the 1,200 euro average for comparable cities, according to Finance Ministry records.
Property tax rates surpass those in 71% of similar municipalities, while 98% of peer cities maintain lower business tax rates.
Nevertheless, business publication Challenges recently ranked Perpignan as France’s third best-managed city, providing Aliot’s supporters with talking points to attract security-focused voters beyond the RN’s traditional base.
An early December Ifop survey shows Aliot leading with 44% support in the first round, benefiting from divided opposition spread among five competitors.
A veteran far-right politician, Aliot has played a key role in Le Pen’s efforts to moderate the anti-immigration party’s image for mainstream appeal. Polling data suggests either Le Pen or her protégé Bardella could win next year’s presidential first round and compete in a close runoff election.
Local resident opinions remain divided. At a downtown market, retiree Marie Nivet praised cleaner streets and visible police presence while seeking stronger anti-drug measures.
She expressed uncertainty about supporting Aliot due to his pending appeal regarding EU fund misuse charges that also threaten Le Pen’s political future.
Aliot indicated he would challenge any adverse ruling in France’s supreme court, noting that team members could assume leadership if necessary.
The legal questions didn’t concern Laure Guérin, a retired private school administrator, who plans to support Aliot based on the RN’s law-and-order approach.
Other residents showed more reservation. Christian Pyguillem, a retired property manager, acknowledged Aliot’s improvements in street cleanliness and security but argued that persistent neighborhood poverty requires comprehensive urban renewal beyond any mayor’s previous attempts.
“We’ll give him another six years, but it’s a vote motivated by the local situation, I don’t agree with their other ideas,” he explained.
Opposition candidates criticized the security strategy as ineffective and blamed deteriorating city finances. Center-right contender Bruno Nougayrède accused Aliot of prioritizing national politics over local responsibilities and emphasizing publicity over tangible results.
“These five years have been marked by complete inaction for the people of Perpignan,” Nougayrède told Reuters. “A lot of resources went into PR, but the city itself has not changed.”
Far-left candidate Mickaël Idrac labeled Aliot’s tenure “catastrophic,” criticizing “frenzied” spending on police equipment and surveillance technology while condemning what he characterized as polarizing language.
Aliot responded that voters would evaluate his performance based on their personal safety experiences. He positions the RN as the party committed to maintaining order following decades of inaction by both left and right-wing predecessors.
“If the left had defended the poor, we wouldn’t be here today. If the right had defended order, we wouldn’t be here today,” Aliot concluded.
