A performance in Rouen in northern France and an interview on French television on the same evening are planned. Hidalgo has the support of the party leader of the Socialists (PS), Olivier Faure, but will first face an internal area code.
As the mayor of Paris, Hidalgo has massively expanded cycle paths, converted parking spaces into street cafes and introduced a speed limit of 30 almost everywhere.
In surveys, Hidalgo is currently below ten percent. Critics accuse her of showing no consideration for the residents of the Parisian suburbs and of not knowing enough about the French provinces.
In the past, the Paris City Hall served its predecessor Jacques Chirac as a springboard into the Elysée. So far, almost 30 politicians have declared that they want to run for the presidential election in April 2022. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron has not yet commented on this.
