Paris (AFP)

The emergence of Agnes Buzyn at the head of the macronist list upset the campaign for municipal elections in Paris, where no candidate took over within four weeks of the first round.

Exit Benjamin Griveaux! The fall of the former candidate La République en Marche opens the way to an express campaign, with the three lists at the top of the voting intentions now led by women: the outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo (PS), Rachida Dati (LR) on the rise, and Agnès Buzyn for LREM.

A total of nine candidates are in the running and everyone is scrutinizing the polls to assess the Buzyn dynamics.

- The Griveaux losing speed bid suited Anne Hidalgo and her team today mocks the inexperience of Agnes Buzyn. The socialist mayor multiplies the proposals and hammers his ecological commitment: 100% of cycle streets by 2024, a billion euros per year for cleanliness, renovation of 30,000 social housing ... With 23% of voting intentions in 1st round in the polls published since the announcement of the Buzyn application, it benefits from the outgoing bonus. But his record is very disputed and only 37% of Parisians want his re-election.

- Rare surprise of the campaign before the explosion of the macronist candidate, the tenacious Rachida Dati has restored confidence to the right, beaten since 2001 in Paris. Alone among the candidates really on the rise, she would even be ahead of Anne Hidalgo with 25% of voting intentions, according to an Odoxa survey published on Wednesday. Determined, "aggressive" according to some in his own camp, the former Keeper of the Seals of Nicolas Sarkozy focuses his campaign on cleanliness and security. With one difficulty: candidate LR will face strong competition on the right in several districts and risks running out of voice reserves for the second round.

- David Belliard (EELV) intends to capitalize on the awareness of the ecological emergency that pushes candidates to green their programs. Credited from 13% to 14%, he wants to be "in the lead in the first round" before any discussion with Anne Hidalgo, Cédric Villani, or even the LREM candidate, for the second round. "If young people vote a lot, the green will be high," warns Bernard Sananès. But the municipal ones are precisely the ballot where they vote the least, contrary to the relatively old classes which move massively.

- What about the Villani application? The mathematician's arm wrestling with LREM and the executive animated the start of the campaign. Change of tone with the arrival of Agnes Buzyn. A courteous dialogue resumed on Monday between the dissident candidate, excluded from LREM, and the head of the macronist list to prepare a possible rapprochement. Although in continuous decline, with 7% to 10% of voting intentions, Cédric Villani clings and warns that he is talking "with each other".

- Far behind the top five, Danielle Simonnet (LFI) and Serge Federbusch (supported by the RN) will have to hang on to reach 5% of the vote. And the candidacies of the ex-adviser of François Hollande Gaspard Gantzer and the showman Marcel Campion are anecdotal.

© 2020 AFP