Emmanuel Grégoire, the new mayor of Paris, takes office with a political profile built on the idea of "moral rigor" and austerity in administration. The 48-year-old leftist, elected after a tight race against former right-wing minister Rachida Dati, promises to reduce the privileges and expenses of municipal officials, while facing a series of major crises in the French capital.
He symbolically marked his victory with a bike tour of the city's new lanes, signaling that Paris' policies to reduce cars and protect the environment will continue during his term.
Grégoire won the election against Rachida Dati, securing a fifth consecutive term for the left in Paris. The result was seen as a political test for the climate in France ahead of the 2027 presidential election, when President Emmanuel Macron's term ends.
Although he is now a key figure in the capital's city hall, Grégoire was until recently relatively unknown to the public. He worked for more than a decade in the city administration, managing the budget and serving for six years as deputy mayor under Anne Hidalgo.
In 2024 he was elected a deputy to the French parliament after snap elections, where left-wing parties formed an alliance to stop the rise of the far right.
However, his term begins at a difficult time. Paris has been embroiled in multiple investigations into child sexual abuse in public nurseries and schools. Dozens of employees have been suspended after complaints of abuse, while parents have criticized the municipality for the way complaints have been handled over the years.
Grégoire has promised a deep reform of the system of recruitment and supervision of workers who care for children during extracurricular activities. He has described the situation as a serious institutional failure and has warned of a complete transformation of the system.
During the campaign, he also revealed a personal story: as a child, he was the victim of sexual abuse by a municipal swimming pool employee. He said he kept the experience quiet for years.
In addition to this crisis, the new mayor must also face other major urban problems: the lack of social housing, the spread of tourist rentals through platforms like Airbnb, and the increasing number of homeless families on the streets of Paris.
On the urban and environmental front, he has promised major transformations in public spaces. According to his program, several boulevards will be transformed into public gardens and hundreds of streets will be pedestrianized, while policies to reduce air pollution will remain a priority.
In his victory speech, Grégoire declared that Paris must remain a city that resists the rise of the far right and policies that he called “Trumpian.” “Paris is not and will never be a city of the far right,” he said.
