Paris
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Paris has been a socialist city for 25 years, but this year’s election is the most uncertain in decades.
Earlier polls put Socialist Party candidate Emmanuel Gregoire ahead of the conservative challenger Rachida Dati in the race to take over from Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who’s led the French capital for three terms. But beneath the apparent stability of Parisian politics, the first round of voting last Sunday did reflect an important electoral shift in municipal elections widely seen as both a launching pad and a bellwether for France’s parties one year ahead of the presidential poll.
For the first time ever, Parisians voted both a far-left and a far-right candidate…