Emmanuel Grégoire, the Socialist candidate of France’s united left-wing coalition, has been elected mayor of Paris, defeating former Culture Minister Rachida Dati, a right-wing candidate long criticized by Armenians and their allies over her ties to Azerbaijani authorities and the Aliyev family.
Grégoire won with just over half of the vote, with reported figures placing him between 50.52% and 52%, while Dati received 41.52% and far-left candidate Sofia Chikirou finished third with around 8%.
Grégoire, 48, previously served as Deputy Mayor of Paris under Anne Hidalgo from 2018 to 2024 and has a long record at City Hall. His victory keeps Paris under left-wing leadership after 25 years of governance by the left, despite Dati’s effort to return the French capital to the right.
Dati’s candidacy drew particular attention because of those longstanding links. Azerbaijani state outlets reported her 2011 meetings with both Ilham and Mehriban Aliyev, and later reported another meeting with Mehriban Aliyeva in Baku in 2014. In 2025, Dati also lost a defamation case she had brought against former French Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti after Filippetti referred to Dati’s “proven ties” to Azerbaijan, with Le Monde reporting that the court treated the remarks as part of legitimate political debate.
Official Azerbaijani sources have documented her meetings in Baku with Ilham Aliyev, Mehriban Aliyeva, and then Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, while also quoting her praising the “Days of Azerbaijani Culture” in Paris.
After running on a united left ticket that included the Greens, Grégoire signaled that Paris would continue its pro-cycling and environmental policies, taking a victory bike ride with future councillors on Sunday night.
“There’s lots to do and we’ll start tomorrow morning,” Grégoire said following the win.
He also stressed that his priorities would include supporting the city’s most vulnerable residents.
“I’m thinking of the most fragile people, those who will sleep on the streets tonight. I’m thinking of children who are suffering … all the most vulnerable who need the left,” he said.
Grégoire added that he felt “an immense responsibility” to Parisians.
