[1] Although the history of Paris spans millennia, that of its municipal government, in its present form, is less than half a century old.

[2] The modern administrative organization of Paris still retains some traces of its previous incarnation as the government of the Seine département.

France's national government still controls the Paris Police Prefecture (Préfecture de police), which also has authority over the Paris Fire Brigade, for example, and has jurisdiction extending to the petite couronne (small corona or halo) of Paris, the three bordering départements (Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts de Seine, and Val de Marne) for some operations such as fire protection and rescue operations.

After the 2020 municipal election, arrondissements 1, 2, 3 & 4 were merged into a single electoral district called "Paris Centre".

[3][4] The districts and city council are elected using closed party-list proportional representation in a two-round system with a majority bonus.