Lucie Castets has been named the lead candidate for the left-wing coalition, excluding La France Insoumise (LFI), in Paris’s 12th arrondissement for the upcoming municipal elections, replacing Emmanuelle Pierre-Marie, the current mayor.
The shift in leadership comes less than 48 hours before the deadline for submitting candidate lists, according to reports. Pierre-Marie, who has served as mayor since 2020, is the subject of an internal investigation concerning allegations of harassment and a “toxic” management style, prompting her withdrawal from the race. She has also been removed from the central list for the Council of Paris, where she held the 8th position.
“Emmanuel Grégoire reaffirms that labor law and the well-being of those committed to carrying out and implementing our public policies will always be non-negotiable,” a statement from Grégoire’s campaign team said, referencing the candidate for mayor of Paris.
Castets, a former candidate for prime minister representing the New Popular Front, was selected to head the list following consultations with elected officials, activists, and local party structures. “In a spirit of responsibility and after consultation and with the agreement of the elected officials, activists and instances of the 12th arrondissement, Emmanuel Grégoire decided to ask Lucie Castets, in whom he has full confidence, to lead the list of the 12th arrondissement for the union of the left and ecologists,” a source close to Grégoire stated.
Pierre-Marie released a statement confirming her decision to withdraw, but did not elaborate on the specifics of the allegations against her. Reports indicate that at least sixteen members of her staff have left her cabinet in the past five years. Mediapart described the mayor’s office as a “pressure cooker, undermined by work-related suffering and departures.”
The inspection générale de la Ville has been notified regarding the allegations. Castets, described as ecologically aligned, will also replace Pierre-Marie on the central list for the Council of Paris.
