Leftist candidate becomes new mayor of Paris
Socialist party candidate Emmanuel Gregoire easily defeated conservative former minister Rachida Dati in the Paris mayoral race.
Gregoire’s victory deepens left-wing control of the French capital, where the Socialists have been in power for 25 years and have overseen an ecological urban renewal project that has resonated with many voters.
Grégoire claimed victory on Sunday after predictions based on partial results placed him well ahead of Dati, who conceded defeat.
“Tonight is the triumph of a certain vision of Paris: a vibrant Paris, a progressive Paris,” Grégoire said.
French voters returned to the polls on Sunday for the final round of municipal elections in 1,500 communes, including major cities.
The vote is meant to test the balance of power on France’s domestic political map before the 2027 presidential race begins to take shape.
It’s also a measure of whether the far right can translate national momentum into control of the major cities it mostly seeks to overrun.
The most closely watched contests are concentrated in major cities, after a first round that left France’s traditional left-right rivalry behind, with the far-right showing a strong presence in many urban races, especially in southeastern France, and causing President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist movement to keep a low profile in many of the most closely watched races.
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) fell short of taking control of the southern cities of Marseille and Toulon, according to exit polls, in municipal elections that gave hope to embattled mainstream parties.
Senior RN officials rejected claims that the party’s defeat in Toulon showed it had hit a “glass ceiling” ahead of next year’s presidential election, saying the party had won dozens of local constituencies where it had not previously had a presence.
“The National Rally and its candidates achieved the biggest breakthrough in tonight’s municipal election in its entire history,” said RN chief Jordan Bardella.
In the first round, his anti-immigrant party won re-election in the southern city of Perpignan and also won smaller cities.
Exit polls showed Eric Ciotti, a former mainstream conservative and now RN ally, winning in Nice, France’s fifth-largest city.
With expected victories in France’s two largest cities, Paris and Marseille, the weakened Socialist Party nationally saw reason for hope.
“Only the left can prevent this decline in France,” said Olivier Faure, head of the Socialist Party. he said.
with AP
