Heir to Anne Hidalgo, Emmanuel Grégoire managed this Sunday to keep the left in front of the Paris City Hall, after a tense and close electoral battle against the conservative Rachida Dati. His victory not only guarantees political continuity in the capital, it also seeks to consolidate the legacy of two decades of progressive government with the “union of the conservative left and the environmentalists”, but distancing itself from La Francia Insumisa. A gesture that seeks nothing more than to attract a more moderate electorate.
Born in Lilas, on the outskirts of Paris, and educated at the Institut d’études politiques de Bordeaux, little is known about the private life of this discreet 48-year-old socialist and father of three children, beyond the fact that suffered sexual violence in his childhood. “I carry this scar, like so many others who have remained silent,” he recently confessed in an interview for FranceInfo.
The new mayor of Paris represents a generation of politicians who have made a career in public administration. Over the last decade, Grégoire has been a key player in the Parisian government team as the first deputy mayor of Hidalgo, where he held strategic positions such as budget, urban planning and the transformation of public policies.
Paris, the center of his political career
Emmanuel Gregoire knows the Parisian administration inside out. During his years at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, the first deputy mayor was crowned one of the main architects of urban policies key with the local bioclimatic urbanism plan that seeks to adapt the capital to climatic and social challenges, or with the limitation of Airbnbs, in addition to investment in social housing.
Among his achievements, he has always based his political action on the defense of the right to remain in the city in a context of increasing real estate pressure. With special attention to the middle and popular classes, it has promoted measures aimed at controlling the market and containing the expulsion of residents. The loss of inhabitants is, precisely, a growing problem in Paris.
His arrival at the Hotel de Ville does not seek innovation, but rather an extension of the transformation initiated by his predecessors; a greener and more accessible city, with less presence of cars and more space for pedestrians, in addition to active policies regarding social housing and mobility. However, Gregoire will have to put his own stamp on this political heritage. Under the motto of “Paris in grandeur”, The new mayor proposes to rethink the governance of Paris and integrate the peripheries into administrative management.
A mayor not exempt from controversy
Emmanuel Grégoire is not free from controversy and his candidacy was also surrounded by tensions and scandals. His designation as a candidate for the Socialist Party generated certain tensions in the party, bringing to light the internal divisions in the Parisian left.
The scandal of pedocriminality in several nursery schools in Paris, also splashed the candidate. a group of parents recently reported sexual violence by several teachers in different nursery schools in Paris. Although not directly involved, the opposition pointed out Grégoire during the electoral campaign for not having acted sufficiently and “having poorly managed the alerts”, when he was number two in the mayor’s office.
Added to these criticisms is the challenge of succeeding Anne Hidalgo. The new mayor inherits a debt in public coffers of at least 10,000 million euros, according to the latest reports from the Regional Chamber of Accounts, although it also receives a transformed city; with fewer cars, more spaces for pedestrians and a considerable reduction in pollution.
Subscribe to continue reading
