Pierre-Yves Bournazel has spent decades in Paris local politics, with roots reaching back to 2006 with the UMP and an elected seat on the city council since 2008. Now aligned with Horizons, he is campaigning for the mayoralty while facing well-known rivals from the center-right. As an openly gay politician from Auvergne, he frames his candidacy as both a political alternative and a personal commitment to defending LGBT+ rights. In public appearances he rejects vague accusations but also calls out what he describes as explicitly homophobic rhetoric when it appears in the campaign.
The campaign atmosphere has included disputes about alliances and the tone of political debate. Bournazel emphasizes his independence even though he once worked as a communication adviser to Rachida Dati. He says he will not enter into comfortable assumptions about political loyalties and stresses that his program is meant to offer a progressive alternative to the long-ruling left in Paris. At the same time he condemns anonymous online attacks and positions himself firmly against LGBTphobia, promising a zero-tolerance approach to public hostility toward sexual minorities.
Campaign context and political positioning
Bournazel positions himself as a centrist-right candidate who refuses to accommodate extremism, whether in rhetoric or through informal agreements. He has publicly questioned ambiguities from other contenders regarding the far right, and he highlights past votes to demonstrate consistency: for instance, during his tenure in national politics he supported a vote in favor of banning conversion therapies for France. He insists his independence is deliberate, arguing that a credible challenge to the current municipal majority requires a clearly funded and responsibly managed program rather than tactical alliances that blur policy priorities.
Alliances, neutrality and campaign strategy
When asked about potential second-round deals, Bournazel declines to promise automatic support for other center-right lists, citing the principle that Parisians want alternation without simply recycling the same options. He rejects the notion that his neutrality secretly favors one rival over another, and proposes a pragmatic notion of coalition-building rooted in programmatic agreement rather than personal loyalty. This stance is designed to reassure voters that his candidacy is a vehicle for policy change — particularly on equality and inclusion — rather than a stepping stone for backroom negotiations.
Culture and visibility: arts center and archives
A notable element of Bournazel’s platform is a cultural infrastructure plan dedicated to LGBTQI+ artists and history. Building on a proposal first announced in 2026, he promises to launch a prefiguration mission in April if elected to prepare an arts center that would combine exhibitions, residencies and public programming. The proposal aims to increase visibility, support creators who face discrimination abroad, and position Paris as a cultural leader. He argues that culture can counter global setbacks on sexual rights by fostering empathy and public debate.
Complementarity with existing projects and funding approach
He explicitly rejects framing the new center as a rival to planned LGBTQ archives; instead, he presents the two initiatives as mutually reinforcing. Bournazel plans to pay for cultural investment through a broader municipal savings program intended to reduce debt and reallocate resources. He also proposes targeted protections for independent bookstores and cinemas and a scheme to help 1,000 nightlife venues finance acoustic insulation, defending the character of neighborhoods such as the Marais while balancing residents’ concerns and the survival of queer spaces.
Security, health and administrative reforms
On public safety and wellbeing, the candidate proposes a substantial increase in municipal police staffing coupled with mandatory training for every city employee to combat discrimination in libraries, pools and civil services. He wants to simplify bureaucratic procedures for transgender people changing civil status and for parents seeking recognition of children born through GPA, aiming to remove administrative obstacles. Regarding harmful practices such as chemsex, his emphasis is on saving lives: he favors prevention, partnerships with associations and platform accountability rather than purely punitive measures.
Harm reduction and international advocacy
Bournazel expresses support for public health models that combine care and safety, noting examples abroad where supervised consumption and outreach buses have been used alongside medical and social support. He also pledges to convene an international city coalition to advocate for the global decriminalization of homosexuality, framing such work as a humanist extension of municipal responsibility. Naming figures who inspire him, from Harvey Milk to writers and media personalities who promote visibility, he concludes that defending LGBT+ rights in Paris requires both local policy detail and a commitment to broader, global solidarity.