PARIS — Emmanuel Grégoire, a Socialist little known to the French public, was elected mayor of Paris in a runoff vote Sunday, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo.
Soon after claiming victory, Grégoire, 48, took a city bike through the streets of Paris toward City Hall, echoing his promise to make the French capital greener.
Grégoire beat out prominent conservative contender Rachida Dati, who acknowledged her defeat after partial results were made public.
The race for Paris mayor was part of France’s second round of municipal elections. 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, Grégoire had for years worked by Hidalgo’s 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 the 2015 extremist attacks and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Grégoire 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’ then-mayor, Bertrand Delanoë.
Grégoire subsequently worked in the prime minister’s office under Socialist President Francois Hollande. He was first elected to the Paris City Council in 2014 and became Hidalgo’s 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.
“An advantage we have is that we know Parisians very well,” Grégoire told The Associated Press ahead of the election.
“I believe that in politics, it’s healthy when grassroots work pays off more than social media” he said — a stab at his rival Dati, known for her outspoken style and being a regular guest in television shows.
Grégoire recently revealed publicly he had been a victim of sexual abuse while in elementary school between the ages of 9 and 10.
“This is the story of a child who … was sexually abused for several months during after-school activities at a municipal swimming pool,” Grégoire told France Inter Radio last year. “At the time, I couldn’t find the strength, the means, or the words to express that pain and suffering.”
“I kept it hidden for decades,” 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 Grégoire said reopened his own scar. Critics accused him of having done nothing on the issue.
Grégoire said that since 2024, he was no longer in charge at City Hall.
At the city level, Grégoire 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 Mélenchon.
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 a far-right militant was beaten to death in the city of Lyon last month.
Ahead of the runoff, mayoral candidate Sophia Chikirou offered to join forces with Grégoire against Dati, but he declined, saying they do not share the same “values.”
The remark reflected Grégoire’s perception of Chikirou as being too radical while he defends a more moderate approach.
Grégoire, for whom the housing issue has been central to his campaign, has repeatedly said that “Airbnb is my enemy.”
“I’m fine with Parisians renting out their primary residence when they go on vacation. But I don’t want entire neighborhoods in Paris to be emptied of their residents because apartments are used exclusively to house tourists,” he said during the campaign.
With Paris long one of the world’s top tourist destinations, tens of thousands of apartments are used as tourist rentals instead of being available to Parisians, Grégoire said.
He pledged to create 60,000 new social and affordable housing units as mayor.
“We have the same problems in Paris as in New York, San Francisco, cities with which I have worked a lot on these issues,” Grégoire told the AP. “What happens if we don’t regulate? Speculation drives residents out.”
Grégoire also vowed to fight overcrowding in places like the Louvre Museum and the Montmartre neighborhood by highlighting less-visited sites and urging tourists to experience different locations.
In line with his predecessor’s policies, Grégoire promised to further increase the number of cycling lanes and make the River Seine cleaner.
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.
“Anne Hidalgo didn’t back me. She did everything she could to torpedo my candidacy. I am neither her candidate nor her heir,” Grégoire told the Franceinfo news broadcaster about the feud last month without elaborating.
However, Grégoire acknowledged their closely shared views but said his approach is “different,” describing himself as “available, accessible and always listening.”
Hidalgo initially supported another Socialist figure to succeed her, but she ultimately endorsed Grégoire after he was chosen as mayoral candidate by party members last year.
She welcomed Grégoire with a hug and a rose at the City Hall on Sunday evening, praising his “very, very beautiful victory.”
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