On the morning of 14 February, the ruling party candidate withdrew from the mayoral race. Another candidate, Cédric Villani, tweeted that he considered that an "unworthy attack," representing "a serious threat to our democracy." The current Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, called for respect for "privacy," while Rachida Dati, a candidate for the Republican party, said that "Parisians deserve a peaceful and dignified election campaign."
The first round of elections will take place on 15 March. Serge Federbusch, a candidate, supported in particular by the National Rally Party, shared his view on whether this sex scandal will affect the final results of Paris municipal elections.
Sputnik: In your opinion, was Benjamin Griveaux's withdrawal from the mayoral race necessary?
Serge Federbusch: His position was unbearable. What is really unfortunate is that somehow it turns out that these kinds of things always happen to those who like to teach and show off their lofty moral principles.
What shocks me the most in this story, is that Christophe Girard, Anne Hidalgo's assistant and mayoral candidate for the 18th arrondissement of Paris, who is obviously involved in the Matzneff [famous writer accused of paedophilia] case, since he had provided him with great material and financial support, helped him obtain state aid etc., didn't withdraw his candidacy. This is the most shocking thing. We are going to demand the resignation of Christophe Girard, who is still in the race. It's much more serious than Griveaux's masturbation stories.
Sputnik: Do you worry about the illegal distribution of this explicit video in terms of the current political situation in France? Is it time for permissiveness?
Serge Federbusch: The current municipal elections have become elections of mass destruction. This is a phenomenon that affects everyone. This is not a good sign; we are observing a form of decay.
Sputnik: How can Benjamin Griveaux's withdrawal affect Paris mayoral elections?
Serge Federbusch: I think LREM is up in the air now. They'll have a hard time getting over it. I don't know who will benefit from it; maybe Cédric Villani or Rachida Dati, I don't know. But it won't really benefit many people because it's a pretty unpleasant situation. Griveaux's voters are generally not my voters. I prefer not to speculate on the misfortunes of others. I offer solutions to Parisians; that's it.
