Leftists Hold Onto Power in France’s Big Cities

The Socialist Party’s Emmanuel Grégoire won the Paris mayoral election yesterday evening – while leftwing victories in Marseille, Lille and Lyon warded off France’s far-right party National Rally (RN). 

In Paris, Grégoire has vowed to build 60,000 new social and affordable housing units to combat the overuse of residential homes as tourist lets. He also plans to build more cycle lanes and improve the condition of the River Seine.

“I’m thinking of the most fragile people, those who will sleep on the streets tonight,” said the incumbent mayor, whose party has been the Parisian favourite for 25 years. “I’m thinking of children who are suffering … all the most vulnerable who need the left.”

“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,” he added. 

Gregoire saw off conservative candidate and former culture minister Rachida Dati with an estimated 52% of the vote.

Elsewhere in France’s local elections, the incumbent leftist mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan, beat RN candidate Franck Allisio. In Nimes, the Communist candidate Vincent Bouget led a left coalition to defeat the far-right. RN had hoped to take both key southern cities. 

Socialists and their allies also held onto their seats in Lyon and Lille.

But despite losses in France’s four biggest cities, Marine Le Pen’s RN was successful in the smaller towns of Menton, Carcassonne, Orange and Castres. 

The leader of the hard-right UDR party, Eric Ciotti – an ally of Le Pen – also won in the city of Nice.

The success of the Socialist Party offers renewed hope for the traditional left, with the far-right failing to win many of its targets.