Rachida Dati

Rachida Dati ([ʁaʃida dati] ; born 27 November 1965) is a French politician, lawyer and magistrate who served as Minister of Culture from 2024 to 2026 in the government of Gabriel Attal, government of Michel Barnier, government of François Bayrou and the first and second governments of Sébastien Lecornu. She previously was Minister of Justice from 2007 to 2009 under Prime Minister François Fillon. A member of The Republicans (LR), Dati was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2019, representing Île-de-France. She was a spokesperson for Nicolas Sarkozy during his 2007 presidential campaign; following his victory, he appointed her to the Government. Dati was elected to the mayorship of the 7th arrondissement of Paris in 2008, when she also entered the Council of Paris. In the 2020 Paris municipal election, she unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Paris against incumbent Anne Hidalgo. Following the election, she was installed as opposition leader in the Council of Paris. She again ran in 2026, placing second to socialist Emmanuel Grégoire.