"Mayor-elect Emmanuel Gregoire of the Socialist Party took a victory bike ride through Paris on Sunday after defeating conservative Rachida Dati in the local elections. Footage shows Gregoire cycling through central Paris, surrounded by cheering supporters, future councillors and media, as he waves to onlookers lining the sidewalks. Gregoire was projected to take about 52 percent of the vote, defeating Dati, a former minister under Emmanuel Macron and Nicolas Sarkozy, who had campaigned to shift Paris back to conservative leadership after 25 years under the Socialists. "Paris is not and will never be a far‑right city," Gregoire declared in his victory speech, according to local media. The 48-year-old previously served as first deputy mayor of Paris under predecessor Anne Hidalgo, a fellow Socialist. His post-victory bike ride was widely seen as signalling continuity with the city's pro-cycling and environmental agenda. Sunday's run-off in more than 1,500 French communes also saw the National Rally unable to capture the key southern cities of Marseille and Toulon."