Municipal elections were held in France on 11 and 18 March 2001. These elections were marked by a setback for the left and a victory for the right one year before the 2002 presidential election. However, the capital, Paris and the second largest city, Lyon both switched to the left. Following the second round, the right controlled 318 municipalities, the left 259. The next elections were scheduled for 2007 but were rescheduled to 2008 not to interfere with legislative and presidential elections in 2007.