Overview

• The Paris LR federation unanimously invested Culture Minister Rachida Dati as the party’s candidate for the 2026 Paris mayoral race, according to Agnès Evren.
• Dati dropped her planned run in the legislative by-election and publicly pledged to support Michel Barnier.
• LR confirmed Barnier as its nominee for the Paris 2nd-constituency by-election on September 21 and 28, which covers the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondissements.
• Party leaders hailed the compromise as a relief and a “win-win,” with reporting indicating internal adjustments to local candidacies that affect figures such as senator Francis Szpiner.
• Dati remains under judicial pressure after being sent to trial on July 22 for alleged corruption and influence-peddling, with a first hearing to set the schedule on September 29 and an appeal that is not suspensive.