Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire was elected mayor of Paris on Sunday, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo. He declared victory after partial results put him comfortably ahead of conservative rival Rachida Dati, who conceded defeat.
After projections from the second-round runoff, Grégoire vowed that Paris would oppose the advance of the right and far right ahead of next year’s presidential election, positioning the city as a center of resistance to forces he said threaten social cohesion and the joy of living together.
Voters across France took part in the decisive second round of local elections, with high-profile contests in Paris, Marseille and Lyon viewed as a barometer of national sentiment before the presidential race. The far-right National Rally had campaigned for major municipal gains and treated the vote as a key test.
RN candidates were defeated in several cities the party targeted, including Marseille, where incumbent left-wing mayor Benoît Payan beat far-right contender Franck Allisio. At the same time, the RN scored a significant victory in Nice, where Eric Ciotti, a former conservative allied with the party, captured the mayoralty. RN leader Jordan Bardella described the municipal outcomes as the party’s biggest breakthrough, noting gains in many areas where it previously had no foothold.
The wins in Paris and Marseille provide a morale boost to the weakened national Socialist Party. Party leader Olivier Faure said the left remains the best bulwark against political regression.
In Le Havre, former prime minister Édouard Philippe was re-elected mayor, a result that strengthens his prospects for a possible presidential bid. Philippe said the victory offered reasons for hope and demonstrated that extremist forces can be defeated.
Edited by Louis Oelofse