He came out of the woodwork discreetly. Expected to run for the City Hall of the capital, as revealed by Le Point, Thierry Mariani chose the weekend of Pentecost to confirm that he would embark on the race for the municipal elections of 2026 in Paris. "I will be a candidate and will seek the nomination of the National Rally, because the RN must be present in a big city like Paris," said Friday evening, on France Info, the one who has just taken the head of the Parisian federation of the party to the flame.
A major challenge that the outgoing MEP chose to take, since in the municipal elections of 2019, the RN and its candidate at the time had collected only 1.4% of the vote. Symbolizing the difficulties of the Lepenite party in the big cities, where only Louis Aliot made an exception with his victory in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales). "If we look at the pattern of victory of the RN in the cities, we win in two cities out of three, but the one where we lose is generally the most populous, comments Thierry Mariani in Le Figaro. Hence the interest of implanting candidates early, so that they are part of the landscape, even if we are aware that the chances of victory are very limited.
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If the RN confirms his investiture, Thierry Mariani will then succeed the liberal magistrate, Serge Federbusch, supported by the RN in 2019, and, before him, Wallerand de Saint-Just, historical treasurer of the FN, who had rubbed shoulders with 6% of the vote in 2014. Although he is rather known for his establishment in the Southeast, Thierry Mariani ensures that he arrives in Paris at a time when "the scheme is ideal", and wants to believe that the RN could obtain 10% of the vote. "The left will probably present a united list, and it is very likely that the Republicans and the majority will present a common list," says the former Sarkozy minister, galvanized by the prospect of a new electoral campaign.
In his entourage, however, this growing enthusiasm is delayed. "He knows that he will be mayor of Paris the day the chickens have teeth," says a relative. While waiting for 2026, Thierry Mariani is reacquainting himself with the capital, he who has spent more time abroad in recent years. A first public meeting will also be organized with his supporters, this Friday, in the sixteenth arrondissement of Paris, federation where the RN has the most registered.