Right-wing candidate for Paris mayor, Culture Minister Rachida Dati submitted her resignation on Wednesday to the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, who accepted it. She was one of the few to have survived all the reshuffles since January 2024, despite legal proceedings for corruption and influence peddling.
Published on: 02/25/2026 - 10:10 p.m. Modified on: 02/26/2026 - 07:34
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Rachida Dati finally lets go of her Culture portfolio. The minister announced on Wednesday February 25 that she had resigned from the government to Emmanuel Macron to "lead the fight of her life" in the municipal elections in Paris.
Two and a half weeks before the first round, the right-wing candidate said she had submitted her resignation "this morning to the President of the Republic". She declared on BFMTV that she was going to “change Paris and the lives of Parisians”.
“The Head of State thanked her for the useful action she has deployed in the service of the French over the last two years and sent her all his encouragement in the fight she is waging,” the Élysée said in a press release.
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“I leave these responsibilities with deep respect and great recognition for those who bring to life, on a daily basis, the cultural policy of our country”, also wrote Rachida Dati in a press release sent by her team on rue de Valois, ensuring that culture constituted “an essential basis of our national cohesion”.
“The commitment of a lifetime”
Opinionated and determined, the 60-year-old politician has brought her style and outspokenness to this ministry, being one of the few to have survived all the reshuffles since January 2024, despite prosecutions for corruption and influence peddling for which she will answer in court in the fall.
Also read: The battle for Paris: a ballot more open than ever
The resigning minister highlighted several successes, according to her, from her record, such as the strengthening of culture in rural areas and the protection of heritage. Despite the restrictions, she claims to have succeeded in limiting the damage to culture, even if her ministry's credits this year show a drop of 173.4 million out of 3.7 billion euros in the budget (excluding audiovisual).
One of her mainstays was the reform of public broadcasting: Rachida Dati believes that France Télévisions, Radio France and the INA must unite against the platforms. But this holding project, unpopular with journalists, has not come to fruition at this stage.
His mandate will also be marked by the upheavals at the Louvre: theft of jewels with worldwide echo, damage and a prolonged staff strike that began in mid-December.
After having worn the two hats of minister and candidate for several weeks, Rachida Dati now has only one objective: “Paris is for me the commitment of a lifetime,” she assured in her press release.
With AFP
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