The role of the mayor was established in France during the 12th century: the feudal lord would appoint an individual responsible for ensuring the safety of residents and overseeing the local economy. It wasn't until the French Revolution that mayors began to be elected directly by citizens. The position of mayor has historically fluctuated, disappearing and re-emerging in tandem with the political upheavals that have shaped France's history.
One of the key political upheavals that left Paris without a mayor occurred in 1871. During the Paris Commune, the city was shaken by intense clashes between the government and workers, artisans, and impoverished laborers. This tumultuous episode led the authorities to dissolve the city’s mayoral office, leaving the capital city temporarily without a mayor.
From 1871 to 1977, Paris was governed by a President of the Municipal Council, elected annually. The Paris Municipal Council itself was elected for a three-year term through a majority runoff single-member district election, the same electoral system currently used for French deputies.
This situation continued until 1977. It was then that President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing decided to restore municipal elections in Paris. Residents of the capital finally regained the right to elect their mayor through an indirect universal suffrage system: citizens vote for a list, and the elected municipal council members select the mayor.
The first mayor of Paris in our modern era was Jacques Chirac, who was elected in 1977. He was succeeded by Jean Tiberi, Bertrand Delanoë, and Anne Hidalgo. Parisians will now be tasked with selecting the fifth mayor of the capital since the time of the Commune.
