Less than a month before mayoral elections in which opinion polls expect Macron's party to fare poorly, Macron is keen to turn his fortunes around in the capital, where voters have given him good scores in the past.
His new candidate, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, a doctor who has been leading France's response to the coronavirus, told reporters she was throwing herself into the race to win.
She will pick up the baton from Benjamin Griveaux, one of the "Macron boys" who helped propel the former investment banker into power in 2017. Griveaux, who is married, was forced to give up after sexual images he sent to a woman were published online.
