David Lisnard

David Lisnard (born 2 February 1969) is a French politician. He was elected to the city council in Cannes in 2001, and elected as its mayor in 2014, 2020 and 2026.

Lisnard was a member of the successive right-wing parties Rally for the Republic, Union for a Popular Movement, and The Republicans, before quitting in March 2026. He founded New Energy in 2021.

Early life and education Lisnard was born in Limoges in Haute-Vienne. His father Denis Lisnard (1944–2024) was a professional footballer born in Cannes, who had started his career at AS Cannes and was playing at Limoges FC at the time of his birth. The Lisnard family had been fishers in Cannes since the 15th century; his great-grandfather Léon Lisnard had a construction company that built Cannes's Forville market in 1934, and his grandfather Raymond Lisnard owned a hotel. Through his mother, he has origins from Bordeaux and Corsica, and developed his Catholic faith.

Lisnard studied at the Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux and the Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, graduating with a master's degree in public law. In the first round, he took 48.8% of the vote, narrowly missing out on the majority to win outright; the second-place candidate Philippe Tabarot was also from the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). In the second round, he took 59% of the vote and was elected.

In July 2016, Lisnard was one of several French mayors to ban the burkini. He said that the "ostentatious" religiosity of the swimwear was likely to disrupt public order due to recent terrorist attacks in France. The following month, France's highest court, the Conseil d'État, suspended the burkini bans. The court said that personal freedom could not be restricted unless the risks to public safety were proven. In June 2018, Cannes City Council was ordered by a court to reimburse the €11 fine given to a burkini wearer in August 2016.

In the 2020 French municipal elections, Lisnard was re-elected with 88.1% of the votes in the first round. The result gave his party all 49 seats on the city council.

In June 2021, Lisnard launched on a national scale his party New Energy, which he had set up upon becoming mayor in 2014. That November, he was elected president of the with 62.34% of the votes.

At the start of 2025, Lisnard announced his intention to run in the 2027 French presidential election, provided that the Republicans' primary be extended to a single candidate for the entire centre-right and right. In the Republicans' 2025 leadership election, he endorsed Bruno Retailleau to succeed Éric Ciotti as the party's new president.

In the 2026 local elections, Lisnard was re-elected with 81.11% of the vote in the first round, with his nearest rival from the National Rally on 11.66%. Days later, he quit the Republicans, alleging that their candidacy process for the 2027 presidential election was "rigged" against his suggestion for an open primary.

Recognition Lisnard was made a knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in December 2020.

Personal life As of 2014, Lisnard had two daughters and a son. They were born to two mothers, and he was separated from both of them.

Lisnard is the cousin of Jean-René Lisnard, a professional tennis player who represented France and Monaco.