Spanish socialist becomes Paris' first-ever female mayor
Monday, March 31, 2014 @ 11:31 PM
A SPANISH woman has become the first-ever female mayor of Paris city council after scooping up 54.5 per cent of the votes.
Anne Hidalgo, who was born in San Fernando in the province of Cádiz, southern Spain in 1954, wrote a heartfelt, 'thank you, Paris' on her Twitter account after learning of her landslide victory over conservative candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, former minister of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and winner of the first round in the polls last week by just 1.24 per cent.
Not only has Mme Hidalgo made history as the first 'mayoress' and one of the few foreigners to be voted as city leader – according to a survey by Ifop/SAS broadcast on the channel i-Télé – but she will be able to continue the landmark socialist reign started by Bertrand Delanoë.
In 2001, M. Delanoë became the first left-wing politician in power at Paris city council in 130 years, and Mme Hidalgo has been his second-in-command until the recent elections, which the existing socialist mayor decided not to stand again for.
It was the support from the green party, the Écologistes, and from an overwhelming majority of votes from residents in Paris' 14th arrondissement which clinched it for Hidalgo following elections in which abstention – at 38 per cent - and tactical voting featured heavily.
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