“It’s pure happiness,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, a member of France’s Parti Socialiste (PS), said of her much publicized swim in the Seine a few days before the start of the Olympic Games. “We have been dreaming of this for years,” she added. Although the long-term success of the river cleanup is still uncertain, the €1.4 billion investment made swimming possible for the duration of the Olympics. It was a small victory for mayor Hidalgo, who has faced many detractors in recent years.
After initially rejecting the idea, Hidalgo became one of the Paris Olympics’ biggest champions. In spite of the financial risks associated with hosting such an event, Hidalgo appears to have seen significant political value in the games.
The example of Boris Johnson on the other side of the channel, who leveraged the 2012 London Olympics to boost his popularity and eventually become prime minister, is likely a factor in her strategy.
Hidalgo believes that the legacy of hosting the Olympics will enhance her political standing and help her to turn the page on her humiliating defeat during the 2022 French presidential election, where she was eliminated in the first round with only 1.7 percent of the vote — the worst result in the history of the PS. Although another presidential run seems unlikely, Hidalgo aims to maintain her mayoral position and has hinted at keeping her options open for the 2026 municipal elections. Replicating Johnson’s success, however, is a very long shot.
Mention Hidalgo’s name to Parisians, and you’re likely to hear:…
La suite est à lire sur: jacobin.com
Auteur: Romain Chauvet
