The Mayor of Paris is the chief executive of Paris, the capital and largest city in France. The Mayor is responsible for the administration and management of the city, submits proposals and recommendations to the Paris City Council, is active in the enforcement of the city’s ordinances, submits the city’s annual budget and appoints city officers, department commissioners or directors, and members of city boards and commissions. During meetings of the City Council, the Mayor serves as the presiding officer.
History
When the French Revolution began after the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, the city insurgents murdered the last Provost of Paris, Jacques de Flesselles. Because the Provost's office was abolished as one of the first moves with the dissolution of the Ancien Régime, the insurgents established a revolutionary government called the "Commune of Paris", initially led by Jean Sylvain Bailly, the first titled "Mayor of Paris". The Mayor's office was very important during the critical phases of the Revolution, and during Robespierre's Reign of Terror it was decisive in the discovery and execution of all suspected counter-revolutionaries. On July 1794, after the 9th Thermidor, the coup d'état that deposed and executed Robespierre and his cronies, the office of Mayor was abolished since it was perceived to be too powerful. After the February Revolution of 1848, the July Monarchy ended in favor of a new Republic, that restored the Mayor's office. This renewal was however short, as the June Days uprising of the same year ended the possibility of creating a strong mayorship. The Executive Commission—charged to provisionally rule the country—preferred to transfer the Mayor's powers to the SeinePrefect, appointed by Ministry of the Interior. In 1870, once again, the office of Mayor was re-established - and again did not survive long. The occasion for the re-creation was the fall of the Second Empire after the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. The provisional Government of National Defense of Louis-Jules Trochu believed that a strong leadership in Paris would prevent sedition during the Prussian siege. After the definitive conquest of Paris by Prussians, popular discontent erupted in a new insurrectionary Commune which held socialist beliefs. Also, in case the Commune was finally suppressed, the new national government preferred to divide Paris into several distinct mayorships to prevent the city’s total loss in the event of further revolts. Thus, for all but a few months from 1794 to 1977, Paris was the only French commune without a mayor. During these times, it was controlled directly by the departmental prefect, and had less autonomy than the smallest village. On 31 December 1975, a law of Parliament signed by PresidentValéry Giscard d'Estaing approved the re-establishment of the Mayor's office for 1977. On March 1977, after the first formal city elections, Jacques Chirac was chosen as Mayor, a position he held until 1995, when was elected President.
