The administrative court in Lyon has canceled the municipal elections in Vaulx-en-Velin, a city near Lyon, which was one of the key victories for the political group La France insoumise in the 2026 municipal elections. The city hall announced this decision on Tuesday, September 29. This comes just one day after the court also canceled the vote in Vénissieux, another commune in the Rhône department that had also been won by La France insoumise. In March, Abdelkader Lahmar, a member of La France insoumise, won the mayoralty of Vaulx-en-Velin, which has a population of about 53,000 people, by a very narrow margin. He defeated the outgoing socialist mayor, Hélène Geoffroy, by just 104 votes. The court found irregularities in the list of candidates from the Divers Center, a political group. Specifically, the list did not include the Dutch nationality of one of the running mates, as required by the electoral code. Because of this, the prefecture had already invalidated those votes. Both the mayor of Vaulx-en-Velin and that of Vénissieux said they would appeal the decision. Since this is an electoral dispute, the only possible next step is to bring the case to the Council of State, a high court in France that handles administrative matters. The Council of State is expected to take several months to make a decision. If it confirms the annulment of the election, a new vote will need to be held soon, which could create logistical challenges given that the presidential election is scheduled for April and early May. The court's decision aligns with the opinion of the public rapporteur, who had previously argued that the election of Abdelkader Lahmar as a deputy for La France insoumise should be invalidated due to the irregularities in the Divers Center list. Another potential victory for La France insoumise is at risk in Saint-Fons, another city in the Lyon suburbs. The situation remains uncertain as the legal process unfolds.