- Title: Socialist Paris Mayor beats Macron's candidate in election 1st round
- Date: 15th March 2020
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (MARCH 15, 2020) (AGENCY POOL) PARIS MAYORAL CANDIDATE FROM CONSERVATIVE PARTY LES REPUBLICAINS, RACHIDA DATI, GOING UP TO STAGE WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (French) PARIS MAYORAL CANDIDATE FROM CONSERVATIVE PARTY LES REPUBLICAINS, RACHIDA DATI, SAYING: "The results of this evening, even if undeniably, not everyone could go and vote, confirms that there are two paths for Paris: a path for continuing the decline of Paris, which is that of Anne Hidalgo; or of a vision that is profoundly different, ours, which ties up with Parisians' concerns, and their concrete expectations, with their desire to rebuild Paris into a city where we can feel good." WHITE FLASH
- Embargoed: 29th March 2020 22:24
- Keywords: Agnes Buzyn Anne Hidalgo Paris mayor Rachida Dati Socialist party municipal elections
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA003C55XMBR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Incumbent Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo beat President Emmanuel Macron's candidate into a distant third place in the first round of local elections in the French capital on Sunday (March 15), an IPSOS exit poll showed.
With 30%, Hidalgo, a Socialist, was comfortably ahead of conservative rival Rachida Dati's 22% and the 17.7% garnered by Macron's official candidate, former health minister Agnes Buzyn. A dissident from Macron's party, Cedric Villani, won 8%.
In Paris, mayoral elections follow a complicated two-round system in 17 districts, which each elect a certain number of delegates, similar to the U.S. presidential election.
Lists of candidates above 5 percent can merge ahead of the runoff, making final results hard to predict.
But the results of the first round, which may be cancelled if the second round cannot go ahead because of the coronavirus outbreak, are a blow to Macron, especially when compared to the 33% his party, En Marche, won in Paris in European elections last year.
Macron's plan to conquer Paris City Hall had become near impossible after Villani, one of his lawmakers who was eventually kicked out, decided to defy the president and challenge the ruling party's official candidate.
Losing Paris would be a blow to Macron's plan to build a local power base for his party and make inroads into the last bastion of the old establishment dominated by socialists or conservatives.
(Production: Noemie Olive, Yonathan Van der Voort, Michaela Cabrera) - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
