Laurence Ruffin, political novice and first feminine mayor of Grenoble | EUROtoday

Novice in politics, enterprise chief Laurence Ruffin, elected on Sunday March 22 as the primary feminine mayor of Grenoble on the head of a left-wing coalition, is the “best in the family” and will sit in Bercy, based on her brother, MP François Ruffin.

A protracted, skinny determine typically wearing pink who distributes leaflets within the markets of the capital of the Alps: Laurence Ruffin, 48, needed to put herself ahead throughout the marketing campaign to make herself recognized to most people of Grenoble, her “city of heart” the place she has lived since 2003.

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To date, the native Amian resident, who met Emmanuel Macron in school, isn’t affiliated with any political get together, however her candidacy obtained discreet assist from the outgoing environmentalist mayor Éric Piolle, who had lengthy introduced that he would stick to 2 mandates.

On Sunday, she beat former mayor (1983-1994) Alain Carignon with 56.59% of the votes, who, to everybody’s shock, had come into the lead within the first spherical (27.04% towards 26.33% for Laurence Ruffin). A detailed rating which pressured her to enter into an alliance between the 2 rounds with Allan Brunon’s La France insoumise checklist and to be extra offensive within the closing days of the marketing campaign by reminding the Grenoble residents of her rival’s authorized issues.

Presenting herself as a “cooperative and managerial activist”, she says she has obtained political proposals “at the national level” up to now however has opted for the municipal degree as a result of “it’s the right level”: “we can fight to ensure that our ideas are put into practice on a daily basis”, she argues.

She is a “courageous” girl, not a machine woman, a tough employee,” mentioned, on situation of anonymity, a left-wing elected official from a neighboring city who has recognized her for a very long time. “To get into politics today, you need a capacity for indignation,” he salutes.

Her older brother, the MP (Ex-LFI) François Ruffin, describes her as “the best in the family”, who based on him “should be Minister of the Economy”. “You are lucky to have Laurence. My only regret is that you are going to deprive France of him,” he mentioned throughout a assist go to to Grenoble earlier than the primary spherical.

For Alain Carignon, Laurence Ruffin would quite the opposite be a “city opportunist”, who remained absent from the municipal debates of current years round site visitors or insecurity. “It’s too late! Where were you Laurence Ruffin?”, he accused her throughout his needs to the folks of Grenoble.

Swimming champion

Graduated in 2000 from the celebrated Essec enterprise faculty, Laurence Ruffin started her profession in technique consulting and trade earlier than branching out into the world of the social and solidarity financial system (ESS) in 2003.

Since 2009, she has managed Alma, a cooperative and participatory firm (Scop), the place workers are the bulk companions, of which she left the final administration in 2025 to stay president.

Based close to the Grenoble campus, the corporate is energetic in publishing software program devoted to trade and the world of well being and employs 186 folks, together with round fifty overseas.

In 2022, Laurence Ruffin is elected vice-president of the General Confederation of SCOPs and SCICs (Cooperative Society of Collective Interest) the place she says she promotes “economic citizenship” primarily based on “sharing of power, wealth, emancipation and environmental impact”.

Her election in September to steer an inventory bringing collectively a big a part of the environmentalist and civic left within the municipal elections in Grenoble didn’t go easily, with deputy mayor Lucille Lheureux claiming to have been the topic of “pressure” and “intimidation” to push her to withdraw from Éric Piolle, who denied this.

As for her future mandate, Laurence Ruffin signifies that she needs to carry a few “change in method”, whereas saying she is “proud of what has been done” by the outgoing workforce.

Among the marketing campaign guarantees, the one who was French UNSS workforce synchronized swimming champion in 1995, talked about a “swimmable” Isère river, a “municipal brigade against vacancy to implement the requisition” of premises, and even free public transport on weekends.

With AFP