Paris municipal elections: "This is a denial of democracy," Pierre-Yves Bournazel interrupts an Emmanuel Grégoire rally

A meeting of Emmanuel Grégoire was interrupted on Saturday, March 7, by one of his opponents in the municipal elections in Paris, the center-right candidate Pierre-Yves Bournazel. The latter denounced the absence of the left-wing coalition candidate from the televised debate on Wednesday, March 4. The center-right candidate for mayor of Paris, Pierre-Yves Bournazel, interrupted a public meeting of Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire on Saturday, March 7, to confront him about his absence from the first televised debate on Wednesday, March 4, seeing it as "a denial of democracy" one week before the first round of the municipal elections. While the candidate of the united left (excluding La France Insoumise) was detailing his proposals to approximately 200 activists gathered on a quay along the Seine, Pierre-Yves Bournazel took the microphone to criticize him for his absence from the debate organized on Wednesday by Ici Paris. Ile-de-France and franceinfo.

"This is a denial of democracy. When you believe in the strength of your candidacy, when you believe in the strength of your project, you go and debate. It's the least you can do to show respect for the people of Paris," he declared, also targeting Rachida Dati, who was also absent.

"Democracy means coming to debate, coming to compare projects," continued the center-right candidate, who later told the press that Rachida Dati and Emmanuel Grégoire had "disqualified themselves from being the next mayor of Paris."

Emmanuel Grégoire responded by turning the criticism back on himself His right-wing rival: "You're not being honest by saying that, and I think you showed great weakness by accepting Ms. Dati's rules. What we agreed on was that we would hold the debates on one condition: that Ms. Dati also attend." "If I were on the right, I would vote for him." "It would have been more consistent (...) for you to go and challenge her (...) But you knew you would get a warm welcome," added Emmanuel Grégoire, who, while judging Pierre-Yves Bournazel's gesture "not very elegant," considered that the latter represented "an honest right wing, a respectful right wing." "If I were on the right, I would vote for him. And I'm pretty sure that among the activists accompanying you, there are some who will vote for us" in the second round, he added the Socialist.

Pierre-Yves Bournazel, who was accompanied by former minister Marlène Schiappa, also challenged his rival on the case of the social housing provider Paris Habitat, at the heart of a controversy over alleged overbilling for work. "Where has the Parisians' money gone?" he asked.

Emmanuel Grégoire replied that he had "discovered this affair in the newspaper," recalling that legal proceedings concerning events from 2016 had resulted in a criminal conviction and that there were no "new elements" in the press revelations that sparked the controversy at the end of February.