Rachida Dati, in Paris, on February 16, 2026. ALAIN JOCARD / AFP
Rachida Dati's campaign to become mayor of Paris faces a new complication. Until now, the right-wing Les Républicains' candidate for the March 15 and 22 elections had mostly been stymied by Pierre-Yves Bournazel, a center-right candidate who has refused to ally with her. Now, the former culture minister faces a new challenge: an outstretched hand she would prefer to ignore.
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In an interview with Le Figaro on Monday, March 9, Sarah Knafo, the far-right Reconquête party's candidate, said, "No one can win alone. The only strategy that leads to victory is unity, it's mathematical." Knafo, an MEP whose campaign has picked up momentum over recent weeks, added that if she qualifies for the second round – by receiving at least 10% of the vote, a plausible scenario – she would offer Dati "a merger of our lists, an agreement on the platform." Should Dati refuse, Knafo, who is also running for mayor of Paris's 16th arrondissement, said she did not plan to withdraw her candidacy, potentially blocking Dati's path to victory.
Asked about Knafo's overtures by broadcaster Franceinfo on Monday, Dati showed some discomfort and attempted to both appease Knafo's supporters and avoid taking a firm stance for or against an alliance. She also refused to answer when asked whether she considered Knafo to be on the far right: "Do you know the answer or not? And me, am I on the left?" she said. When the journalists replied that she was on the right, she continued: "All right then. I'll let you answer for the other candidates. I only answer for myself." In the same interview, she did not hesitate to label three members on Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire's list as "far-left."
