The Paris mayoral race remains tightly contested after the first round, with Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire leading on 37.98% and right‑wing Rachida Dati on 25.46%. Dati has announced a potential alliance with centre‑right Pierre‑Yves Bournazel — reportedly with President Macron's approval — while hard‑left Sophia Chikirou has refused to withdraw, leaving the left split ahead of next Sunday's runoff. The outcome will turn on last‑minute pacts and voter reactions to issues of public order, urban policy and integrity.
Paris Mayoral Race Tightens After First Round as Right‑Wing Alliance Threatens Left Hold
Socialist Emmanuel Gregoire and right-wing ex-minister Rachida Dati both want to run Paris (JOEL SAGET)(JOEL SAGET/AFP/AFP)
The contest for Paris mayor remained unresolved on Monday after Sunday's first round produced a clear lead for the Socialist candidate but left the outcome uncertain ahead of next weekend's runoff.
Emmanuel Grégoire, the Socialist former deputy mayor, topped the first round with 37.98% of the vote, while right‑wing former culture minister Rachida Dati placed second on 25.46%. Three other candidates — Sophia Chikirou (La France Insoumise), Pierre‑Yves Bournazel (centre‑right) and Sarah Knafo (far right) — also advanced and may prove decisive in next Sunday's second round.
What's at Stake
The election could hand Paris to the right for the first time in 25 years, or keep it under Socialist control following Anne Hidalgo's administration. Grégoire has vowed to continue Hidalgo's agenda — expanding bike lanes and green spaces and improving public housing — while Dati has campaigned on public order, promising tougher policing, faster rubbish collection and expanded surveillance.
Alliance Talks and Conditions
Dati announced on social media that she had reached a pact with centre‑right rival Pierre‑Yves Bournazel: "We're going to work with Bournazel on a project for political change," she wrote. Bournazel's team, however, said talks were ongoing and that he had set conditions, including a public rejection of any alliance with the far right. A source at the Élysée Palace reportedly indicated President Emmanuel Macron approved talks between Dati and Bournazel.
Bournazel has also pressed for a complete overhaul of how the city recruits and trains school monitors after allegations in recent months that some monitors abused kindergarten pupils. Grégoire has pledged stricter training standards for those roles.
Divisions on the Left
Hard‑left candidate Sophia Chikirou, who finished third with 11.72%, said she would remain in the race unless Grégoire called to build a united left front. Grégoire has publicly ruled out an alliance with La France Insoumise, leaving the left fractured at a critical moment.
Outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo urged left‑wing parties to rally behind Grégoire to prevent "the danger of populism, corruption, and the dismantling of public services."
Legal Cloud Over Dati
Dati faces a graft trial in September over alleged corruption from 2010–2012 tied to her time in the European Parliament; she denies the charges. The issue has become part of the broader debate over integrity and governance in the mayoral campaign.
With only days before the runoff, the race will likely hinge on whether centre‑right and far‑right forces unite behind Dati, whether the left can consolidate around Grégoire, and how voters react to security, cleanliness and social‑policy debates in Europe's fifth‑largest city.
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