Provisional results in France’s local elections showed on Sunday that the left-wing candidate Emmanuel Grégoire – the former deputy of current mayor Anne Hidalgo – fought off a challenge from the right-wing former culture minister Rachida Dati to win the Paris mayor race.
Provisional results released after polls closed at 8pm showed Grégoire in the lead with 51 percent of the vote, against 37 percent for Dati and 12.5 percent for the hard left’s Sophia Chikirou.
The results released at 8pm are provisional, based on early counting, but are usually accurate.
Polling had put Grégoire and Dati neck-and-neck in the week between the two rounds, but in the end provisional results showed a comfortable win for Grégoire – who is widely seen as the continuity candidate who has pledged to continue Hidalgo’s programme of expanding cycle and pedestrian facilities and plating more trees.
Former justice and culture minister Dati, a protégée of now-convicted ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, had hoped to seize Paris for the right and become its second female mayor in a row.
In conceding defeat Dati said “we had a strong vision for Paris and we ran a campaign full of conviction. It was not enough. I failed to convince people that change was necessary.”
Grégoire, on the other hand, celebrated his win by riding to City Hall on a Velib bike with supporters.
Emmanuel Gregoire makes a V sign as he rides a Velib’ public bike-sharing bicycle heading to Paris townhall after his victory following the announcement of official results of the second round of France’s 2026 municipal elections in Paris on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)
“Paris has decided to stay true to its history,” Gregoire told a cheering crowd.
He said the French capital would resist the right and far right in the lead-up to next year’s presidential polls.
Former Paris Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe (L) congratulates Paris Mayoral candidate Emmanuel Gregoire during the party’s rally after Gregoire won the second round of France’s 2026 municipal elections, at the Rotonde Stalingrad in Paris on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)
“Paris will be the heart of the resistance against this alliance of the right, which seeks to take away what we hold most precious and fragile: the simple joy of living together,” Gregoire said after projections landed from the second-round runoff of local elections.
Once he arrived at the town hall in Paris, the former Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, was waiting for him. She presented him “the key of Paris”. In his victory speech, he expressed his “gratitude” towards her and thanked his voters.
However the defeated far-right candidate Sarah Knafo described Grégoire’s win as a “tragedy for Paris”.
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