Necessary or Optional? Gender and Coalition Strategies in French Municipal Elections

Abstract

This paper studies whether the gender of political leaders affects coalition strategies in electoral settings. I use French municipal elections from 2008, where institutional rules determine if coalitions are necessary or optional to enter the second round. Then, I compare strategic choices of men- and women-led lists, controlling for electoral strength, political orientation and local characteristics. The results show that women leaders are more likely to form coalitions when merging is required but tend to avoid coalitions when they are optional. These differences have implications for access to seats in municipal councils, but not for coalition characteristics.