Anti-drug activist Amine Kessaci, 22, officially joined outgoing mayor Benoît Payan's list for Marseille's March municipal elections on January 26. A prominent figure in the fight against narcotrafficking and under heavy protection following his younger brother's assassination in November 2025, he will hold a central role in the left-wing union. He stated he will not live assigned to residence.
Amine Kessaci, a member of Les Ecologistes, received an emotional welcome from Printemps marseillais supporters during an announcement under heavy police watch. At 22, the young activist has lost two brothers to assassination, including his younger sibling Mehdi, killed on November 13, 2025, by a hit squad. Despite this tragedy, he has chosen to engage politically alongside Benoît Payan, Marseille's diverse left mayor since 2020 and candidate for re-election in the March 2026 elections. Payan described Kessaci as holding 'a central role (…) at the heart of the heart of the setup,' without specifying his exact position. According to internal sources, he may rank third on the main list, the first man after the mayor, but will not appear on the 7th sector's list where he previously lived. Still under protection due to his anti-drug trafficking efforts, Kessaci expressed his refusal to be confined: 'I will not live assigned to residence.' This joining strengthens the left-wing union, aiming to retain the city amid rising competition. The Printemps marseillais coalition, victorious in 2020, banks on this profile to rally against narcotrafficking-related insecurity.
