In a stunning reversal, Pierre-Yves Bournazel, the Horizons and Renaissance candidate in the Paris municipal election, has merged his campaign list with that of his conservative rival Rachida Dati—only to immediately announce his own withdrawal from the race.
A Promise Broken
On February 25, Bournazel was unequivocal: “I am a candidate to win,” he stated, firmly ruling out joining forces with Dati for the second round. That promise was first contradicted by the leader of his party, Édouard Philippe, and then, decisively, by Bournazel himself on Monday, March 16.
The Kingmaker’s Dilemma
With 11.34% of the vote in the first round, Bournazel finished far behind both Rachida Dati (25.46%) and the leading candidate, Emmanuel Grégoire (37.98%). This result positioned him as a potential kingmaker. After a day of negotiations, he agreed to merge his list with Dati’s coalition. However, in a surprise announcement on France 2, he declared, “For me, the journey ends here,” and stepped aside.
Allies Despite a History of Hostility
The new alliance papers over weeks of intense personal attacks between the camps. In January, Dati dismissed Bournazel as representing “the stupidest right wing in the world.” Bournazel retaliated in February, asking voters, “Do you really want Rachida Dati as mayor for 6 years? Think carefully about that!”
Further acrimony was detailed in Bournazel’s own book, published in January, where he described Dati as a “person in a state of narcissistic drunkenness” and claimed working with her was a “suicide mission” or at least “a fine mess.”
The sudden merger and subsequent withdrawal throw the second-round campaign in Paris into further uncertainty, as Dati’s unified right-wing bloc seeks to challenge the frontrunner.
