PARIS (AP) 鈥� Emmanuel Gr茅goire, a Socialist little known to the French public, was elected Sunday, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo.
Soon after claiming victory, Gr茅goire, 48, took a city bike through the streets of Paris toward City Hall, echoing his promise to make the French capital greener.
Gr茅goire won over 50% of the votes, beating out prominent conservative contender Rachida Dati who reached 41% while hard-left contender Sophia Chikirou got about 8%.
The race for Paris mayor was part of France鈥檚 . Sunday’s vote showed clear gains for the traditional left and right, and one major win for the far right in the French Riviera city of Nice.
Long a discreet figure in French politics, Gr茅goire had for years worked by Hidalgo鈥檚 side.
Hidalgo was elected in 2014 and reelected in 2020 but chose not to seek a third six-year term after leading the city through and the .
Here are five things to know about Paris鈥� new face.
A local political career
Gr茅goire was well-placed to step into the limelight when Hidalgo decided not to seek a third term.
He had joined the Socialist party at 24 in 2002, got involved in Paris politics and eight years later became the chief of staff of Paris鈥� then-mayor, Bertrand Delano毛.
Gr茅goire subsequently worked in the prime minister鈥檚 office under Socialist President Francois Hollande. He was first elected to the Paris City Council in 2014 and became Hidalgo鈥檚 first deputy mayor from 2018 to 2024, overlooking key portfolios, including budget, urban policies and public services.
In 2024, he was elected a lawmaker to the National Assembly and last year launched his bid to succeed Hidalgo.
鈥淎n advantage we have is that we know Parisians very well,鈥� Gr茅goire told The Associated Press ahead of the election.
鈥淚 believe that in politics, it鈥檚 healthy when grassroots work pays off more than social media鈥� he said 鈥� a stab at his rival Dati, known for her outspoken style and being a regular guest in television shows.
A victim of child abuse
Gr茅goire recently revealed publicly he had been a victim of sexual abuse while in elementary school between the ages of 9 and 10.
鈥淭his is the story of a child who 鈥� was sexually abused for several months during after-school activities at a municipal swimming pool,鈥� Gr茅goire told France Inter Radio last year. 鈥淎t the time, I couldn鈥檛 find the strength, the means, or the words to express that pain and suffering.鈥�
鈥淚 kept it hidden for decades,鈥� he added.
Child abuse has been a key topic in Paris electoral campaign, as several reports of alleged abuse in Paris public schools recently broke out, which Gr茅goire said reopened his own scar. Critics accused him of having done nothing on the issue.
Gr茅goire said that since 2024, he was no longer in charge at City Hall.
A rivalry within the left
At the city level, Gr茅goire has led a broad left-ecologist political coalition of Socialists, Greens and Communists, but has ruled out any alliance with the hard-left party France Unbowed of veteran leader Jean-Luc M茅lenchon.
France Unbowed once used to be a traditional ally of other left-wing parties. But the alliance collapsed as political rivals accused its politicians of tolerating antisemitic rhetoric. Some critics also blamed the hard left for fueling tensions after in the city of Lyon last month.
Ahead of the runoff, France Unbowed candidate Chikirou offered to join forces with Gr茅goire against Dati, but he declined, saying they do not share the same 鈥渧alues.鈥�
The remark reflected Gr茅goire鈥檚 perception of Chikirou as being too radical while he defends a more moderate approach.
Focus on housing Parisians, not just tourists
Gr茅goire, for whom the housing issue has been central to his campaign, has repeatedly said that 鈥淎irbnb is my enemy.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 fine with Parisians renting out their primary residence when they go on vacation. But I don鈥檛 want entire neighborhoods in Paris to be emptied of their residents because apartments are used exclusively to house tourists,鈥� he said during the campaign.
With long one of the world鈥檚 top tourist destinations, tens of thousands of apartments are used as tourist rentals instead of being available to Parisians, Gr茅goire said.
He pledged to create 60,000 new social and affordable housing units as mayor.
鈥淲e have the same problems in Paris as in New York, San Francisco, cities with which I have worked a lot on these issues,鈥� Gr茅goire told the AP. 鈥淲hat happens if we don鈥檛 regulate? Speculation drives residents out.鈥�
Gr茅goire also vowed to fight overcrowding in places like the and the by highlighting less-visited sites and urging tourists to experience different locations.
In line with his predecessor’s policies, Gr茅goire promised to and make the .
Feud with Hidalgo
Gregoire was long seen in the Socialist camp as the favorite to succeed Hidalgo, but a dispute between the two in 2024 almost derailed his bid.
鈥淎nne Hidalgo didn鈥檛 back me. She did everything she could to torpedo my candidacy. I am neither her candidate nor her heir,鈥� Gr茅goire told the Franceinfo news broadcaster about the feud last month without elaborating.
However, Gr茅goire acknowledged their closely shared views but said his approach is 鈥渄ifferent,鈥� describing himself as 鈥渁vailable, accessible and always listening.鈥�
Hidalgo initially supported another Socialist figure to succeed her, but she ultimately endorsed Gr茅goire after he was chosen as mayoral candidate by party members last year.
She welcomed Gr茅goire with a hug and a rose at the City Hall on Sunday evening, praising his 鈥渧ery, very beautiful victory.鈥�
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