Anne Hidalgo, Europe’s most famous mayor is set to run for the French presidency.
The Spanish-French politician serving as Mayor of Paris since 2014 has declared her interest in running for the highest political office in France on April 10, 2022.
Hidalgo, a member of the Socialist Party, is Paris’s first female mayor.
While she has already garnered attention on the international stage and favoured choice to win the nomination of her party, will face stiff opposition from Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent president, and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.
If the 62-year-old mayor is elected, she has indicated her plans to expand on climate policies pioneered in Paris, turning France into a low-carbon economy while reducing inequality and bridging the class divide.
Read also: President Macron says French troops killed ISWAP leader Al-Barnawi
Hidalgo as the Mayor of Paris accomplished so many things among which are; she ensured a decrease in car ownership in Paris since 1999 to as low as 20%, increased bike usage from 2018 to 2019 to as high as 54percent, constructed 1,000 km (620 miles) new bike lanes, and 30 km/h (18 mph) the new city-wide speed limit for cars.
Hidalgo is enjoying the backing of a new generation of younger socialists who seek to reinvent the party. And she has built her campaign firmly on her story of “overcoming class prejudice” to win back voters.
In her speech to party loyalists, she cited her “humble” upbringing on a housing estate near Lyon in order to appeal to workers and those who have marched for more “social justice” in protest movements over the past two years.
Recall on May 7, 2017, Macron was elected President of France with 66.1percent of the vote compared to Marine Le Pen’s 33.9percent.
The election had record abstention at 25.4percent and 8percent of ballots being blank or spoilt.
According to Gabriel Attal, the government spokesman, the first round of France’s presidential election will be held on April 10, 2022, with the second round scheduled on April 24.
