Paris continues its green revolution: new mayor Emmanuel Grégoire celebrates victory by bike

©Alexander Kagan via Unsplash

The wind of socialism continues to blow across the French capital, while the far right failed to win. With 50.52% of the vote in the second round, Emmanuel Grégoire is the new mayor of Paris, and the city - at least for the time being - remains true to its progressive history. The candidate of the united left defeated the conservative Rachida Dati, who admitted her clear defeat in the election.

"Our joy is immense, our responsibility is immense. We'll spend a few hours celebrating and tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, we'll start work very early. Thank you all so much!" commented the new mayor of the French capital, successor to Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has worked to make Paris a greener and more liveable city.

Cycling the streets of Paris

The newly-elected mayor of Paris chose not to parade around in an official car or organize a procession to celebrate his victory. Yesterday evening, after the results were confirmed, Emmanuel Grégoire climbed aboard a Vélib' public bicycle service and pedaled - in the company of future councillors - along the capital's cycle paths to Hôtel de Ville: the same paths to which he himself has contributed over the years as first deputy mayor.

A gesture both symbolic and coherent, like a manifesto in motion. Anne Hidalgo, the outgoing mayor, was waiting for him to hand over the keys to the city and wish him 'good luck'.

"Paris has decided to remain true to its history; it is the heart of the resistance. Paris is not and never will be an extreme right-wing city," he declared in his speech to the citizens.

Who is the new mayor and what are his promises for the city?

Born in 1977, Emmanuel Grégoire is a politician who has made his way behind the scenes at City Hall. As Bertrand Delanoë's chief of staff, he went on to become a city councillor in 2014, then first deputy in the administration led by Anne Hidalgo for six years, in charge of the budget, urban planning and public services. Today, he leads an alliance between the Socialist Party, the Ecologists and the French Communist Party.

With his election, the green revolution will continue. Grégoire wants to accelerate the capital's ecological transition: more bike lanes, more green spaces and fewer cars to build a city increasingly designed for pedestrians. On the social front, the priority is the housing crisis that is suffocating a metropolis of two million inhabitants: more social housing and stricter supervision of short-term rentals, accused of depriving residents of apartments. But the new mayor has also inherited a number of thorny issues: endless building sites that exasperate Parisians, a mounting municipal debt and a heavy scandal of sex.ual abuse in day-care centers, an affair that deeply affected Mr. Grégoire himself, having been abused as a child.

Source : Emmanuel Grégoire

(©GreenMe.it 2026/Managing editor : Selma Keshkire - The Press Junction/Picture : Alexander Kagan via Unsplash)