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| - Emmanuel Macron's candidate for mayor of Paris, Benjamin Griveaux, warned Thursday that the French capital had become dangerously disconnected from the rest of the country and needed to do more to halt a middle-class exodus. On the eve of Britain's departure from the EU, the 42-year-old Macron loyalist hoping to oust Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo in March elections compared Paris to anti-Brexit London. Noting the "absolute divide" between London, which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, and many parts of the country which voted to leave, Griveaux argued that Paris too had become a wealthy bubble. "Little by little Paris has become disconnected from the rest of the country, and it's not just since Macron or Hidalgo," Griveaux, who trails in third place behind Hidalgo and a conservative candidate according to recent polls, told the Anglo-American Press Association of Paris. "This capital, which was shaped by people from all parts of the country, has cut itself off from the countryside," the centrist who hails from a village in eastern France said. That was "not a good sign," he added. Polls show the former government spokesman, who helped found Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) party, failing to topple the unpopular Hidalgo, even though Macron swept Paris in the 2017 presidential election. Wresting control of the capital would be a huge prize for Macron as he seeks to consolidate his base ahead of an expected re-election bid in 2022. It would also help offset heavy losses he is expected to face in rural areas, where his policies have met fierce resistance and fired up the "yellow vest" protest movement. But a fratricidal fight between Griveaux and a dissident candidate from Macron's party, star mathematician Cedric Villani, has split the party's support in Paris. Macron finally intervened in the duel on Sunday and asked Villani to step aside -- an order Villani refused, triggering his exclusion from the ruling party this week. "It's a matter of ego," Griveaux said Thursday, adding that even a mathematician "can make serious miscalculations." He admitted that the pair had similiar ideas on how to transform Paris, which he described as "maybe the best-known brand in the world, after Coca-Cola." These include halting construction of residential tower blocks within the city's boundaries -- both argue that Paris is too densely populated -- as well as creating a municipal police force and making the city greener. Griveaux accused Hidalgo of turning Paris into a "open-air museum for rich tourists and those who are doing very well," and pledged more help for middle-class families being pushed out of the city by rising prices. "By reconnecting with people we will reconnect with the country," he declared. Two polls in the past two weeks show Hidalgo enjoying a comfortable lead with 23 to 25 percent of the vote in the first round, ahead of rightwing candidate Rachida Dati with 19-20 percent, Griveaux with 15-16 percent, Greens candidate David Belliard with 14-14.5 percent and Villani at 10-13 percent. cb/js/wai
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