Conservative UMP Party Chooses a Woman for the Mayoral Race in Paris

After winning the confidence and trust of the conservative UMP party with a 58 percent vote, Natalie Kosciusko-Morizet will bear the party’s flag as its candidate for the 2014 mayoral race in Paris. It is a ground breaking choice for the Party especially since it has opened the possibility of having a female mayor elected – a first in the long political history of Paris.

Females fighting for the mayoral spot

In the 2,000 years of the city’s history, never before has a female mayor been elected to office. The current mayor of Paris has been holding the reins of power for over 12 years now. And even before his time, all his predecessors were men. The mayoral position in Paris has always been considered as an exclusive and privileged spot. It has been closely associated to the presidency since most of France’s former Presidents were former mayors of the City of Light.

The next 2014 mayoral election in Paris can indeed be considered a milestone not only to Parisians but also to French women. Two high profile females will be fighting head to head for the post and both are considered to be very competent and suited for the job. Representing the conservative UMP party is 40-year old Natalie Kosciusko-Morizet. She has served with re-electionist and incumbent President Sarkozy as his spokeswoman. On the other hand, the Socialist Party will be represented by Anne Hidalgo. She is being groomed to be the successor of current Mayor Bertrand Delanoe. There are other candidates for the mayoral race but these two are considered to be the main contenders.

Similarities and differences

Politicians have their own agenda on how they plan to run a constituency when elected. And though some of their projects and interests are similar, differences in perspective will always be present.

In an interview with Natalie Kosciusko-Morizet, also known as NKM, she shared her eagerness to convince stores to open on weekends, especially those located in the city’s tourist districts. According to NKM, Paris is losing to London in terms of stabilizing tourist groups on weekends. The reason behind this great loss is the rule allowing stores to close for a day. NKM also pointed out the she wanted to clear the subways and other attraction of Paris from pickpockets if she were elected.

The contention of NKM regarding stores closing at least for a day was somehow opposed by the Socialist Party representative Anne Hidalgo. According to Mayor Delanoe’s successor, she does not want Paris to look like Anglo-Saxon cities that have stores opened for 24 hours even on Sundays.

The two opponents share something common when it comes to making Paris a better city. For one, both share the same views on public housing issues that assail Paris which is considered widely as of the most luxurious city in the globe. They even share the same opinion when it comes to setting limits on diesel vehicles. NKM and Hidalgo also both support same-sex unions that were recently legally recognized in France.

Photo Credit: Natalie Kosciusko-Morizet