Socialist Emmanuel Gregoire becomes new mayor of Paris

Emmanuel Gregoire, a Socialist little known to the French public, has been elected as mayor of Paris in a run-off vote, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo.

Soon after claiming victory, Mr Gregoire, 48, took a city bike through the streets of Paris toward City Hall, echoing his promise to make the French capital greener.

Mr Gregoire won more than 50% of the votes, beating prominent conservative contender Rachida Dati on 41%, while hard-left contender Sophia Chikirou received 8%.

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, Mr Gregoire had for years worked by Ms Hidalgo’s side.

Ms Hidalgo was elected in 2014 and re-elected 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.

Mr Gregoire, 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 neighbourhoods 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, Mr Gregoire said.

He pledged to create 60,000 new social and affordable housing units as mayor.

Mr Gregoire hit the headlines recently after he revealed he had been a victim of sexual abuse while in elementary school between the ages of nine 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,” Mr Gregoire 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.”

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 Mr Gregoire said reopened his own scar.

Mr Gregoire was long seen in the Socialist camp as the favourite to succeed Ms 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,” Mr Gregoire told the Franceinfo news broadcaster about the feud last month.

However, Mr Gregoire acknowledged their closely shared views but said his approach is “different”, describing himself as “available, accessible and always listening”.

Ms Hidalgo initially supported another Socialist figure to succeed her, but she ultimately endorsed Mr Gregoire after he was chosen as mayoral candidate by party members last year.

She welcomed him with a hug and a rose at the City Hall on Sunday evening, praising his “very, very beautiful victory”.