New Delhi, March 24 -- Emmanuel Gregoire, a Socialist little known to the French public, was elected mayor of Paris in a runoff vote Sunday, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo.

Soon after claiming victory, Gregoire, 48, took a city bike through the streets of Paris toward City Hall, echoing his promise to make the French capital greener.

Gregoire won over 50% of the votes, beating out prominent conservative contender Rachida Dati who reached 41% while hard-left contender Sophia Chikirou got about 8%.

The race for Paris mayor was part of France's second round of municipal elections. Sunday's vote showed clear gains for the traditional left and right, and one major win for the far right in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Long ...