Rachida Dati rejects alliance with Sarah Knafo ahead of Paris mayoral elections

Rachida Dati, Les Républicains and MoDem candidate for Paris mayor—who secured MoDem's endorsement in December 2025—ruled out on March 5 any alliance with Reconquête's Sarah Knafo. She urged the right to rally behind her from the March 15 first round, warning that far-right pacts would alienate more centrist voters than they attract.

In a CNews interview on March 5, Rachida Dati, mayor of Paris's 7th arrondissement and candidate for the 2026 municipal elections, reiterated that an alliance with Sarah Knafo was 'not possible.' Knafo, a far-right MEP polling over 10% and likely advancing to the second round, had offered cooperation to defeat the left without withdrawing.

Dati, building on MoDem's prior support announced by Maud Gatel, criticized left-wing pacts like Emmanuel Grégoire's with ex-LFI figures from L’Après, saying she refused alliances without shared values. She warned: 'There are alliances that will make you lose more than gain,' citing risks to her center-right base.

Dati targeted Knafo's European ties to Germany's AfD and neo-Nazi-linked parliamentarians, as well as Reconquête's Zemmour-inspired 'union des droites,' which she dismissed as superficial. She renewed calls for Horizons candidate Pierre-Yves Bournazel—polling around 14%—to join her list, noting prior January disagreements over issues like the 'grand remplacement' and personal attacks.

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Jordan Bardella at a Paris rally, calling on voters to support Rachida Dati in municipal election runoff.
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Jordan Bardella calls on Parisians to vote for Rachida Dati

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RN president Jordan Bardella urged Parisian voters on Tuesday evening to block the left and far-left by voting for Rachida Dati in the municipal runoff. He said he would personally vote for the LR-MoDem candidate if registered in Paris. This comes after Sarah Knafo's withdrawal and the merger with Pierre-Yves Bournazel.

Two months after announcing her candidacy, Sarah Knafo of Reconquête ! is polling over 10% in the first round of Paris's 2026 mayoral race, ahead of RN's Thierry Mariani. Political scientist Frédérique Matonti argues in Le Monde that her approachable communication conceals an ultra-liberal, consumerist, and security-focused program.

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Rachida Dati, Les Républicains (LR) candidate who came second in the first round of Paris municipal elections with 25.46% of votes, and Pierre-Yves Bournazel from Horizons-Renaissance with 11.34%, agreed to merge their lists on Monday afternoon. They aim to unite the right and center against Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire, leading with 37.98%, and a divided left including Sophia Chikirou (LFI) at 11.73%.

The three candidates for the Paris municipal election runoff, Emmanuel Grégoire, Rachida Dati and Sophia Chikirou, clashed in a debate lasting over two and a half hours organized by Le Figaro and BFMTV on March 18, 2026. Discussions covered security, after-school care, housing and personal attacks. With four days until the vote, the race looks tight following post-first-round mergers and withdrawals.

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As Paris municipal elections approach on March 15 and 22, 2026, leading candidates focus on security, cleanliness, housing, and the environment, the top concerns for residents. A left-right divide emerges especially on arming the municipal police. Right-wing candidates aim to boost staff numbers and enhance surveillance tools.

Nathalie Koenders, François Rebsamen's socialist successor, begins her first municipal campaign in Dijon against a divided left and an optimistic right. Elected mayor on November 25, 2024, the 48-year-old inherits a term shaped by 25 years of socialist governance. Her right-wing rival, Emmanuel Bichot, bets on change after a quarter-century in power.

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One month before the Paris municipal elections on March 15 and 22, 2026, the six main candidates struggle to focus on local issues, overshadowed by national debates and controversies. Budget disputes, school scandals, and judicial affairs dominate the campaign, hindering constructive dynamics.

 

 

 

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