THE ANSWER IS, "NON":

Most voters in Paris care about affordable housing - of which there is very little in Paris, a main reason that young people opt to live elsewhere - as well as jobs, crime, and pollution. But both women floated some ideas that would add to Paris's cultural portfolio - like creating urban art projects in abandoned tunnels (Hidalgo) or turning unused metro stations into swimming pools and nightclubs (NKM).

Their run-off Sunday is one of thousands across the country, which follow last Sunday's first go. The major takeaway from round one was pessimism: high rates of abstention and better-than-expected results for the far-right National Front, mostly explained by discontent with the mainstream parties, especially the ruling Socialists. NKM, in fact, squeaked out a few more votes than Hidalgo, who has been long favored to win.

The dour national mood has been another reoccurring theme in France, even making the front pages of Le Monde recently, after an Ipsos survey showed that 85 percent of respondents believe France is a country in decline.

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