Green, left-wing Michèle Rubirola becomes Marseille’s first woman mayor

Marseille became the latest French municipality to elect a Green mayor on Saturday, in a wave that has swept the country since local elections at the end of last month.

Michèle Rubirola, head of the green-left coalition Printemps Marseillais, arrives at Marseille city hall on July 4, 2020.
Michèle Rubirola, head of the green-left coalition Printemps Marseillais, arrives at Marseille city hall on July 4, 2020. © Clement Mahoudeau, AFP
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Michèle Rubirola, the first female leader of France’s second city, won the most votes from city councillors, ending almost a week of suspense after the June 28 poll that failed to give her slate an absolute majority.

Rubirola, of the left-wing Printemps coalition, will succeed Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin, who made the city a conservative stronghold in his 25 years in office.

FRANCE 24’s Yinka Oyetade reports.

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