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LFI Taps Sophia Chikirou to Lead Paris Mayoral Bid, Launching 'Paris Populaire' Campaign

She launches an insurgent bid focused on lowering housing costs with LFI running alone in the first round.

Overview

  • The 46-year-old MP formally announced her run, pitching herself as the voice of a “Paris populaire” and targeting the 13th, 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissements.
  • An Ifop survey places her around 12% in the first round, a score that would clear the 10% bar to remain in the runoff.
  • She excludes an agreement with Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire while leaving the option open to negotiate with the Greens’ David Belliard for a potential second-round fusion.
  • Her platform emphasizes cutting housing costs and creating a robust municipal education service, with 5,000 activists mobilizing for doorstep canvassing this weekend.
  • Chikirou is under formal investigation over alleged 2017 campaign-account offenses, which she disputes, and LFI seeks to use the PLM reform to win seats as analysts caution a sustained LFI runoff bid could benefit right-wing contender Rachida Dati.