“I will never be a candidate”: Macron said he will not run in municipal elections in Marseille

The initiator of the “Marseille in the City” plan to compensate for delays in France’s second city, especially in schools and transport, President Emmanuel Macron ruled out any candidacy for the 2026 municipal elections in an interview published on Sunday in La Tribune and La Provence. .

“There is a rumor: you can run in the 2026 municipal elections, even in an unauthorized position,” journalists ask. “Maybe someone has considered this possibility, but I will not run for anything,” the head of state replies. And I will add a few days before the arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseille: “This is a city for which I have great affection, which has exceptional potential that can bring even more to the country thanks to its vitality. We must help Marcel. »

“Everything needs to move much faster.”

In September 2021, Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Marseille, announced massive state investment – five billion euros – among other things, to renovate primary schools, which were in a deplorable state after 25 years of right-wing mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin, opening up poor areas in the north by developing a public transport network and combating poor housing. “What we have to be obsessed with is results. Schools are being restored faster, there are more innovative educational projects, swimming pools that we can recreate,” he emphasized in an interview.

“Now in Marseille, things must move much faster so that all parties concerned can improve the spirit of cooperation, and this is not enough,” Emmanuel Macron challenged, however. He particularly wanted skills to “clarify” between the city, led by various left-wing mayors Benoit Payan, and the metropolis of Martine Vassal (right), the former deputy of Jean-Claude Gaudin. Metropolis includes about 90 municipalities within the department and manages, among other things, transport, cleanliness, etc.

“The mayor of Marseille has the right to complain when he says that he does not manage the roads of his city. We must return certain prerogatives to cities so that residents understand who is doing what, so that there is less redundancy and waste of public money, and we move faster on projects,” the president said.

After launching an anti-drug operation in Marseille that he called “XXL” this year, in a city where 49 people have died in drug wars in 2023, he explains that he wanted to “hit security very hard ” “I’m tired of people always talking about this city in a negative way. This city is great. »