By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Michel Rose
PARIS, March 15 (Reuters) - Marseille's leftist mayor and his far-right rival were tied in Sunday's first-round municipal election, an Ipsos exit poll showed, in a major boost for the nationalist National Rally's once-unthinkable hopes of claiming France's No. 2 city.
A divisive anti-immigration and eurosceptic party, the RN is now France's largest parliamentary bloc and polls suggest it could win next year's presidential election. It has long struggled to build a power base across French towns and cities, so a victory in Marseille in next week's run-off vote would provide a huge boost to its 2027 presidential hopes.
Marseille was among the first French cities to report exit polls in Sunday's mayoral election, in which voters will elect the leaders of some 35,000 towns and cities across France.
The vote serves as a test of the strength of the far-right and the resilience of mainstream parties ahead of next year's presidential election.
Incumbent Socialist Mayor Benoit Payan was seen with 35.4% of the Marseille vote, Ipsos said, with the RN's Franck Allisio also on 35.4%. A candidate from the far-left France Unbowed and from a centrist coalition also made the run-off, resulting in a four-way second-round vote that is hard to predict.
Marseille has become the epicentre of France's battle with growing drug crime, and both Payan and Allisio have made security the centrepiece of their campaigns.
Polls show security is the top concern for voters going into the nationwide municipal elections, a trend that is seen benefiting the RN and its tough-on-crime rhetoric.
RN party president Jordan Bardella claimed to have done well in many municipalities around France.
Exit polls showed it had won Perpignan near the Spanish border straight from the first round, in one of the biggest cities it already controls. Its candidate in the southern city of Toulon, one of the main cities it hoped to claim, also came first in first-round votes, according to an exit poll.
There were signs of resilience among mainstream parties, however.
Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe came first in Sunday's first-round mayoral vote in his northern city of Le Havre, delivering a better-than-expected performance that boosts his hopes of running for president in 2027.
In Paris, Socialist Emmanuel Gregoire came in first, with a significant lead over conservative Rachida Dati, while the rising star of the far-right, Sarah Knafo, appeared to have underperformed opinion polls.
(Reporting by Ingrid Melander, Juliette Jabkhiro, Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose, Layli Foroudi, Manon Cruz; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Elaine Hardcastle, Gabriel Stargardter, Diane Craft and Deepa Babington)
