Socialist candidate Frédéric Gregoire won Paris’ mayoral election, ensuring the city remains under left-wing control following Anne Hidalgo’s two terms.
Close Race and Left’s Victory
An Ipsos BVA poll indicates Gregoire, representing the Socialist Party, Greens, and Communist Party, received 53.1% of the vote. His opponent, Valérie Dati, garnered approximately 38% according to the same data.
Pre-election polls showed a near tie between Gregoire and Dati, but Gregoire chose not to form an alliance with the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party.
Gregoire’s Background and Policy Continuity
Gregoire served as Anne Hidalgo’s deputy since 2018. Hidalgo was the first woman to hold the mayoral office and served for two terms.
His election signifies the continuation of the Socialist Party’s governance of Paris since 2001, likely maintaining Hidalgo’s policies of greening the city, expanding bike lanes, and reducing car traffic.
“Paris Will Never Be a Far-Right City”
“Paris has decided to remain faithful to its history,” Gregoire stated after the election, assuring that the city “is not and will never be a far-right city.”
Dati’s Political Career
Valérie Dati, from the center-right Les Républicains (LR) party, has been mayor of Paris’ 7th arrondissement for many years and is a prominent figure in French politics.
She served as Minister of Justice under Nicolas Sarkozy, the first woman of North African origin in that role, and also held a seat in the European Parliament. Most recently, she was Minister of Culture until resigning to campaign for mayor, despite facing significant negative sentiment.
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