The Renaissance party officially endorsed Pierre-Yves Bournazel, the Horizons candidate, for the March 2026 Paris municipal elections on Tuesday, October 28, sidelining Rachida Dati. The decision, approved by 14 out of 16 members of the national investiture commission, represents a reversal after months of hesitation. It has elicited mixed reactions within the party.
After several months of hesitation, Renaissance ratified its support for Pierre-Yves Bournazel's list during a meeting of its Paris political committee, followed by a national investiture commission. The decision was approved by 14 out of 16 members present.
The previous week, Franck Riester, the party's deputy secretary general for elections, had described the Horizons candidate's profile as « less divisive » than that of Rachida Dati, the Culture Minister. This choice marks a strategic reversal: support for Dati, who joined Emmanuel Macron's camp in early 2024, seemed assured just months ago. It eroded due to her divisive statements, ongoing judicial affairs, and particularly the episode of the by-election in Paris's 2nd constituency on September 21 and 28. Rachida Dati had withdrawn her candidacy in exchange for clear endorsement from the Republicans for the municipal elections, causing a « breach of trust » with Renaissance, led by Gabriel Attal.
Around forty Parisian party officials, including Clément Beaune (former transport minister), David Amiel (junior minister for public service), Olivia Grégoire (Paris deputy), and Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet (former labor minister), praised this direction in a tribune published in L’Opinion. They view it as a « choice of coherence » and « of appeasement », noting that the 48-year-old Pierre-Yves Bournazel « has proposed the path of a positive campaign, around values and a project ».
The candidate responded in a statement: « a strong signal, an important and decisive support ». However, the decision does not enjoy unanimous support among Parisian officials and some ministers.