The billionaire and owner of Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR), Mohed Altrad, officially announced his candidacy for the municipal elections of Montpellier on January 15, 2026. Already a candidate in 2020, he is trying his luck again with a discourse centered on authority, employment, and "entrepreneurial" management of the city.
A look back at this announcement, his program, and the questions it raises.
A Second Candidacy After a First Failure in 2020
Mohed Altrad is not a newcomer to Montpellier political life. In 2020, he ran for municipal elections and obtained:
- 13.3% in the first round,
- 18.2% in the second round, after merging with a list from the alternative left.
He then came third, behind Philippe Saurel and the current mayor Michaël Delafosse (PS).
Elected as a municipal and metropolitan councilor, he never sat during the mandate, before resigning in 2024.
Six years later, he returns with a new campaign and an assumed positioning:
"Montpellier does not need another politician but a builder."
A Billionaire Entrepreneur Profile
Mohed Altrad heads the Altrad Group, a world giant in scaffolding and industrial services. Some figures:
- 20th professional fortune in France (Challenges ranking)
- About 70,000 employees worldwide
- 5.9 billion euros in turnover in 2025
- Owner of Montpellier Hérault Rugby
He claims a personal trajectory of a "self-made man", arrived in France thanks to a scholarship, often highlighted in his public speeches.
A Highly Offensive Program on Security and Economy
During his launch meeting at Espace Dièze, in front of more than 300 people, Mohed Altrad unveiled the main lines of his program.
Announced Social Measures
- Free school canteen
- Doubling the number of social housing units
- Possibility of accession to ownership after 15 years
- Maintenance of free transport
Security and Public Order
- Curfew from 10 PM for under 16s
- Doubling of municipal police staff
- Creation of a municipal cleanliness brigade
Urban Planning and Environment
- Abandonment of the incinerator / CSR project
- Massive greening plan
- Opposition to solid recovered fuels (CSR)
Economy
- Promise of 30,000 jobs created
- Stated objective of "zero unemployment"
- Freezing of local taxes
- Commitment to donate his elected official allowances to associations
Promises That Raise Questions
Very Ambitious Announcements...
Creating 30,000 jobs, reaching zero unemployment, or doubling the social housing stock are major objectives, which largely fall under:
- metropolitan or national competencies,
- economic dynamics largely external to municipal power.
No concrete precision has been provided for the moment on:
- the actual financing of these measures,
- their calendar,
- their compatibility with existing budgets.
A Marked Security Vision
The curfew for minors and the massive reinforcement of the municipal police raise several questions:
- real effectiveness of these devices;
- respect for public freedoms;
- articulation with State competencies.
A Questionable "New Man" Posture
If Mohed Altrad presents himself as outside the "political system", he:
- has already been a candidate,
- was elected,
- did not sit during his mandate,
- and regularly opposed the municipality on issues affecting his economic interests (stadium, sports facilities).
A Candidacy Also Marked by the Judicial Context
Mohed Altrad was sentenced in 2022 to an 18-month suspended prison sentence for active corruption, influence peddling, and misuse of corporate assets, in a case also involving Bernard Laporte.
He also received a two-year ineligibility sentence, the outcome of which depends on his appeal trial scheduled for September 2026.
➡️ If this conviction were confirmed, he could not complete a possible mayoral mandate.
A Candidacy That Shakes Up the Local Political Landscape Again
As in 2020, Mohed Altrad's candidacy could:
- fragment the electorate,
- reshuffle the cards of the first round,
- weigh on the balance between the left, ecologists, and alternative lists.
But at this stage, polls remain cautious: a Harris Interactive poll from December 2025 credited him with about 6% of voting intentions.
To Follow
Mohed Altrad's candidacy raises many questions:
- What credibility for a municipal project led by a big boss?
- What compatibility between private management and public action?
- What coherence between promises and the real competencies of a city hall?
All points that deserve to be analyzed throughout the campaign.