Hittler vs. Zielinski: a tiny French town's bizarre mayoral race goes to runoff

2026-03-18 - 15:33

In the small town of Arcis-sur-Aube in eastern France – a community of fewer than 3,000 residents nestled on the banks of the Aube River – a mayoral race is drawing eyes from around the world. The reason has nothing to do with the issues at stake and everything to do with the candidates' names. In the first round, held last Sunday, two candidates with startling names emerged at the top of the field. Incumbent mayor Charles Hittler ran under the slogan "Let's act together for Arcis," emphasizing his political track record throughout the campaign. He finished first with 37.81% of the vote but fell short of the 50% threshold that would have secured him another term outright. Close behind came Antoine Renault-Zielinski, running under the banner "Arcis-sur-Aube on fire," who collected 29.99%. Hittler and Renault-Zielinski will now face off in the runoff, joined by Annie Souca, who finished second with 32.20%. Mayor Charles Hittler It is hard to miss that both names echo those of two towering figures on the world stage: Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But here, unlike the turbulent geopolitical arena of recent years, the stakes are considerably more modest – "strengthening community ties and improving residents' safety" on Hitler's side, or "supporting authentic, environmentally respectful rural tourism" onRenault-Zielinski's. Incumbent mayor Charles Hittler has leaned on his experience and political record to win the trust of Arcis residents once more. His opponent, Antoine Renault-Zielinski, a dynamic local entrepreneur, has built his campaign on a drive to innovate and breathe new life into the town. In an interview with the French television network BFM, both candidates said the name issue had never crossed their minds, and the mayor admitted he is so accustomed to his own name that it never occurred to him there was anything strange about it. The town of Arcis-sur-Aube holds a notable place in French history as the site of a Napoleonic battle in 1814. Meanwhile, beyond this small town's unusual contest, local elections were held across all of France last Sunday. Municipal elections are widely seen as a bellwether ahead of France's national elections, scheduled for the middle of next year. In many cities, including most of France's major urban centers, no candidate secured 50% of the vote, so a second round will be held next Sunday in numerous cities, including Paris, Marseille, and Nice. Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally party (Photo: AP) The first-round results of the municipal elections were marked by a breakthrough for the radical left, which emerged as a potential kingmaker in several important cities, and by strong results for the nationalist right. At the same time, the trend of weakening for the political center in France continues, although in cities like Paris, the candidate of the center-left Socialist Party holds a stronger chance of winning, and President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Party, representing the political center, managed respectable results in a number of cities. Among the fringe parties that gained strength, there is optimism ahead of the presidential elections following their relative success. The National Rally party, led by Jordan Bardella, finished first in 60 municipalities, winning outright majorities in roughly 23 of them – enough to install their own mayors. In major cities, however, even where the nationalist-right candidate won only a plurality, there is a strong likelihood that the center and the left will join forces to defeat nationalist-right candidates in the second round, to be held next Sunday.