How France's far-right RN lost a longstanding northern stronghold in the municipal elections

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

Villers-Cotterêts, a northern French town of 10,000 residents, had been governed by far-right mayor Franck Briffaut for 12 years. On March 22, independent centrist Jeanne Roussel took the town from the far right with 52.51% of the vote.