Paris mayor not to seek 3rd term in 2026 municipal elections

By Nur Asena Erturk

Paris’ left-wing Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Tuesday that she will not seek a third term, according to media reports.

In an interview with the French daily Le Monde, Anne Hidalgo endorsed Senator Remi Feraud as her successor to take the lead with the municipal elections in 2026.

Hidalgo, elected twice in 2014 and 2020, told Le Monde: “This was a decision I made long ago. I always thought that two terms were enough to implement deep changes. Out of respect for Parisians, I wanted to announce it early enough and at a moment that would allow preparing a smooth handover.”

She added that she knows well and appreciates Remi Feraud, describing him as “the one who can reinvent a future for Paris.”

The mayor also announced her intention to remain active in politics after 2026.

Paris has seen significant changes and moments during Hidalgo’s terms.

The mayor organized a referendum, and Paris was the first European city to ban rental e-scooters in 2023.

France’s capital also hosted the Olympic Games in 2024. The Seine River crossing the heart of the capital was a major discussion topic due to its pollution as the games were approaching, and some swimming competitions were planned in the river.

Hidalgo, through the preparation phase, worked hard to scientifically prove that the river was clean enough. She took a dip in the river after then-Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera in July.

Paris also went through a “garbage crisis” in early 2023 when garbage collectors launched strikes for several weeks in March to protest the government’s pension reform plan. Thousands of tons of garbage rot on the streets, with rats rummaging through the piles. Hidalgo, who tacitly expressed her support for the opposing movement, was criticized for "doing nothing" as trash piled up in the capital.

Through those weeks and months, Hidalgo also had to deal with the damages made to the city during the rallies by some protester groups, who were violently repressed by police.