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Mohed Altrad Launches 2026 Bid for Montpellier Mayor With Sweeping Local Pledges

His campaign proceeds under a 2022 corruption conviction with an appeal retrial scheduled for September 2026.

Overview

  • The billionaire owner of Groupe Altrad and Montpellier Hérault Rugby formally announced his candidacy on January 15 before about 500 supporters.
  • In a 26-minute speech, he promised to create 30,000 jobs, impose a 10 p.m. curfew for under-16s, and make school canteens free for all children.
  • He said he would keep the city’s free public transport, overhaul municipal finances, and redesign traffic flows to reduce congestion.
  • Altrad vowed to scrap the contentious CSR waste-to-fuel treatment unit planned on the city’s outskirts.
  • The repeat candidate, who finished third in the 2020 first round, cast himself as a builder intent on dismantling what he calls a Socialist-run system at city hall.