Samia Ghali

Ghali became active in politics at the age of 16.^[3] She was elected to the municipal council of Marseille in 2001.^[2]

In 2008, she was elected to the Senate for Bouches-du-Rhône. She held her seat until 2020, when she resigned upon her appointment as second Deputy Mayor of Marseille under Mayor Michèle Rubirola.^[1][2] Ghali also served as the 8th sector mayor of Marseille (15th and 16th arrondissements).^[1][2]

In 2012, she suggested the French Army should be sent to the neighbourhoods of Northern Marseille to put an end to drug-trafficking.^[3] In June 2015, her own chauffeur was arrested by police in a drug-trafficking raid in La Castellane.^[4] She said she was "shocked" and "astounded".^[4]

In the 2020 municipal election, Ghali ran for Mayor of Marseille, though the Socialist Party's official stance was to support the Printemps marseillais ("Marseille Spring") coalition headed by Europe Ecology – The Greens candidate Michèle Rubirola. Benoît Payan, the city's Socialist leader, accused Ghali of splitting the left-wing vote.^[5] Later that year, after Rubirola's resignation from the mayorship, Ghali's contingent of eight councillors voted in favour of First Deputy Mayor Payan becoming the new mayor.^[6]

From 2004 to 2008, Ghali also held one of the vice-presidencies of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur under President Michel Vauzelle. Since 2021, she has been a member of the Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône for the canton of Marseille-4.^[7]

Her second husband is Franck Dumontel, a political administrator.^[2] She has four children.^[2]