Anne Hidalgo will not stand as mayor of Paris for third term in 2026

Long-time mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has confirmed that she will not stand for a third term as mayor in the 2026 elections, although she has appointed her successor in the role, who will run.

Ms Hidalgo, who has been mayor for 11 years so far, confirmed the move in Le Monde newspaper today (November 26). She said she would quit her role in March 2026, at which point she will have been in the position for 12 years.

She first took on the role in 2014, and was re-elected in 2020.

“It’s a decision that I made a long time ago,” she wrote. “I always believed in the idea that two mandates was enough to lead to major changes.”

Ms Hidalgo did try to run for President in 2022, but she only received 1.74% of the vote in the first round, finishing in 10th place. 

New candidate support

Now, she has taken herself out of the running, but thrown her support behind a new candidate, Rémi Féraud. Mr Féraud is a socialist senator and president of the Paris en commun party at the Conseil de Paris.

“I know him well, I have admired him for a long time,” said Ms Hidalgo. “He is going to carry our history, and reinvent the future for Paris. He has the necessary grounding, the seriousness, and the capacity to bring people together.”

Ms Hidalgo has not ruled out continuing her political career, and is not afraid of sharing her opinions on different politicians. She is a long-time critic of MEP and far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has recently butted heads with her former deputy Emmanuel Gregoire, and has come out in support of MEP and Place Publique party founder Raphaël Glucksmann.

Although she has confirmed she will “hand over the reins” at the next election, she has also called for “the emergence of a force that is social-democratic, environmentalist and humanist, that is rooted in the country and embraces as many citizens as possible”. 

Ms Hidalgo has been a controversial force in Paris, and has become particularly well-known for her environmental stance, including introducing stricter rules on polluting vehicles in Paris, increasing parking fees, and working to reduce access for large SUVs. 

Mixed response

Ms Hidalgo’s announcement has received mixed responses from politicians.

Laurence Patrice, deputy mayor in charge of remembrance and veterans, thanked the mayor for her work.

Similarly, Michaël Delafosse, mayor of Montpellier, praised her for having “adapted Paris to the climate challenge”, thanked her for “this beautiful Olympic Games opening ceremony that celebrated the beauty of Paris and our humanist values”, and said she had “courage in the face of attacks”.

Former Minister for Europe, and Transport, Clément Beaune admitted that “while I have had major disagreements with Anne Hidalgo, I want to salute her work for Paris and her courage as a female politician”.

However, Ms Hidalgo’s opponents have, unsurprisingly, been less forthcoming. 

“It's good news that will delight many Parisians for whom she had become a real nightmare,” said Edwige Diaz, RN MP for Gironde on CNews today. 

Jean-Philippe Tanguy, RN MP for the Somme, said: “Good riddance. This city has become catastrophic, unmanageable, and above all completely isolated from the rest of France.”

Maud Gatel, chair of the MoDem group on the Paris Council said that Ms Hidalgo had sown “division…even within her own camp…throughout her time in office…Paris deserves more”.

Geoffroy Boulard, LR mayor of the 17th arrondissement, went even further in his criticism, said: “We can't resign ourselves to letting the apparatchiks of the Socialist Party share Paris out among themselves.”